By Usman Oladimeji
Nigeria moved to speed up the rollout of seven million smart electricity meters on Thursday with the launch of “POWER FORCE”, a nationwide training programme aimed at producing 5,000 certified meter installers.
The flag-off was held at the headquarters of the National Power Training Institute of Nigeria (NAPTIN) in Abuja. It is being implemented under the Presidential Metering Initiative (PMI), launched by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in 2023 to address one of the power sector’s biggest challenges.
The first batch of selected applicants was unveiled at the ceremony. They will undergo three weeks of intensive practical and classroom training in Abuja. Nearly 220,000 young Nigerians applied during the recruitment period.
Speaking at the event, Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq of Kwara State and Chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum, who chairs the PMI Board, said the programme goes beyond sector finances.
“PMI is not just about fixing the finances of the power sector through metering. It is also about impacting the lives of young Nigerians, through training and skills development,” Abdulrazaq said. He was represented by Mr Edmund Obiora Nnaji, Executive Director, Finance and Administration at the NGF. He urged state governors to support the initiative to expand the pool beyond the initial 5,000 trainees.
Minister of Power, Joseph Tegbe, described the trainees as the backbone of the metering rollout.
“Behind every successful metering programme must stand thousands of competent, certified and dedicated technicians. The 5,000 young Nigerians being trained under this initiative will become the backbone of Nigeria’s smart metering workforce,” Tegbe said.
He added that the reforms are “not merely about equipment and technology; they are equally about creating opportunities, building human capital and securing livelihoods.” Tegbe also commended the Association of Meter Manufacturers of Nigeria (AMMON) for withdrawing a court action against the deployment programme, saying the decision “removed a significant obstacle to the accelerated deployment of electricity meters across the country.”
Minister of Youth Development, Ayo Olawande, linked the initiative to his ministry’s “One Youth, Two Skills” programme.
“This is not just the launch of a training programme; it is about creating jobs and opportunities for Nigerian youths to contribute to national development,” Olawande said.
Olu Arowolo Verheijen, Executive Secretary of PMI and Special Adviser to the President on Oil and Gas, called it the largest metering programme in Nigeria’s history.
“To solve one of the biggest barriers to a reliable electricity sector: ensuring that every Nigerian pays only for the electricity they actually use,” Verheijen said. She added: “One young installer cannot transform Nigeria. But five thousand can inspire fifty thousand. And fifty thousand can inspire millions more. That is how movements begin.”
Other dignitaries present included the Director-General of the Bureau of Public Enterprises, Mr Ayo Gbeleyi; NAPTIN Managing Director, Mr Ahmed Bolaji Nagode; NEMSA Managing Director, Mr Adesayo Olusegun Michael; and PMI Project Director, Obafemi Solebo.
After the Abuja launch, POWER FORCE training will be expanded to centres across Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones. Graduates will receive formal certification from NEMSA as qualified meter installers who meet national and international competence and safety standards.
