Following months of public complaints about estimated billing and malfunctioning meters, the Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company (IBEDC) has confirmed the restart of its complimentary prepaid smart meter rollout. The deployment will begin under Tranche B of the Meter Acquisition Fund (MAF) and Phase 1 of the Distribution Sector Recovery Program (DISREP), two major initiatives designed to close Nigeria’s longstanding metering deficit.
The company revealed that 33,450 smart meters will be distributed under MAF Tranche B, while 22,104 meters are slated for deployment through DISREP Phase 1. MAF installations will give priority to unmetered customers on Band A feeders, whereas DISREP installations will cover customers on both Band A and Band B.
IBEDC stressed that the meters and their installation come at no cost whatsoever, urging customers not to pay any installer or staff under any circumstance. Any suspicious request for payment can be reported to maf_disrep@ibedc.com or ethicscompliance@ibedc.com. Funded by IBEDC through a market-backed framework introduced by the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission, the initiative supports the Presidential Metering Initiative and aims to accelerate nationwide metering at zero cost to end users.
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Customers are advised to grant installers access to their homes or business premises once proper identification is provided, as denying access may lead to service disconnection. The utility company also warned against bypassing or tampering with the newly installed smart meters, noting that such acts qualify as electricity theft and carry strict penalties.
Although customers with outstanding debts are encouraged to pay their arrears to ensure a smooth transition to the prepaid system, IBEDC clarified that unpaid bills will not prevent anyone from receiving a meter. “No customer will be excluded from meter allocation because of outstanding balances. All arrears will be handled through our established debt management processes,” the company assured.
The resumed rollout is projected to reduce billing disagreements and improve service efficiency, ultimately offering significant benefits to households and small businesses across IBEDC’s service areas.
