- The Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, revealed that over 400,000 imported meters remain uninstalled due to a shortage of trained technicians.
- He stressed the urgent need to build local capacity through training and certification to sustain growth across Nigeria’s power sector.
Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, has attributed a shortage of trained technicians to the stalling of the installation of more than 400,000 imported electricity meters.
Adelabu told delegates at the Nigeria Energy Conference in Lagos that technicians have installed fewer than 100,000 of the 500,000 meters imported last month because the country lacks certified installers.
“We brought in over half a million meters last month, and we haven’t installed 100,000. We don’t have enough trained hands, yet we say our youths are unemployed,” he said.
He warned that Nigeria would need up to five years to install the six million meters required to close the metering gap if it fails to train more installers. “We must train and certify technicians now. This shortage exposes a much deeper capacity gap in the sector,” he said.
Adelabu mentioned the Ministry of Power is rebuilding technical capacity through the National Power Training Institute. The ministry has installed new simulation equipment, upgraded workshops, and expanded training facilities with support from development partners.
He criticised private electricity firms for neglecting staff training since the unbundling of the former National Electric Power Authority (NEPA) and Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN). “Private operators have not matched the level of training we had under NEPA and PHCN,” he said.
Adelabu said the government is prioritising human capital development across every segment of the energy value chain. “We can’t fix the power sector without investing in people. We are training a new generation of engineers and technicians to build a stronger, more reliable power system,” he said.