The Chief Executive Officer of Century Power Generation Ltd, Dr. Chukwueloka Umeh, has called for the empowerment of local meter manufacturers to ensure the success of the National Mass Metering Programme (NMMP).
The programme flagged off by President Muhammadu Buhari targets providing 6.5 million meters for power consumers beginning from October 2020.
The current metering gap comprising unmetered customers and customers with obsolete meters is over 10m, according to the framework for financing the programme released by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).
Speaking to newsmen in Lagos, Umeh called for the creation of an enabling environment where Nigerian manufacturers can grow.
Umeh said that instead of the government procuring the meters, they should let private companies drive the process for efficiency and retain capital in the country.
Umeh, who is also the Chief Operating Officer of the Nestoil Group, equally spoke on the tariff increment as he urged electricity consumers to be patient.
Recall that President Muhammadu Buhari promised that all power users would get meters before the end of his administration while ending and that estimated billing methodology.
The free distribution of meters was also part of the agreement reached between the federal government and the organised labour after the disputed increase in electricity tariff in September 2020.
