The federal government has launched the Power Force Programme under the Presidential Metering Initiative, aiming to train 5,000 young Nigerians in smart meter installation as part of efforts to close the country’s metering gap and create jobs.

Minister of Power Joseph Tegbe said inadequate metering remains one of the biggest structural problems in the power sector, contributing to the industry’s liquidity crisis by preventing accurate billing and revenue collection, and described smart metering as central to eliminating estimated billing and restoring financial sustainability to the electricity market. He welcomed the recent withdrawal of a lawsuit by the Association of Meter Asset Providers of Nigeria, calling it a breakthrough that removes a major obstacle to faster meter deployment nationwide.

Tegbe said the shortage of skilled technical personnel has long hindered the country’s metering drive, describing the 5,000 trainees as the future backbone of Nigeria’s smart metering workforce who will ensure households and businesses receive professionally installed meters meeting proper technical and safety standards. Special Adviser to the President on Energy, Olu Verheijen, who leads the metering initiative, described Power Force as its flagship workforce development programme, saying the first cohort of trainees was formally flagged off in Abuja as a step toward building the skilled workforce needed to accelerate the country’s smart meter rollout.