Aba Power, Nigeria’s newest electricity distribution company (DisCo), provided more smart meters than the other 11 Discos in the country combined in 2025, according to an electricity pressure group.

In a statement released this morning after its first executive committee this year in Abakaliki, the Ebonyi State capital, the Southeastern zone of the Electricity Consumers of Nigeria (ECAN) revealed that all 12 DisCos in Nigeria provided 175,302 meters under the Meter Asset Provider (MAP) scheme and 44,104 prepaid meters under the vendor-financed framework as of the third quarter of 2025, quoting a recent report in the Punch newspaper based on data provided by the Nigeria Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC).

“Aba Power alone gave end-users over 100,000 smart meters by the end of last September”, declared the Southeastern zonal ECAN in a statement signed by its chairman, Engineer Joe Ubani, and secretary, Comrade Chris Okpara, citing figures sent monthly to NERC by the head of the metering team at Aba Power, Engineer Alfred Atega.

“This means that Aba Power exceeded its 2025 target of giving its customers 100,000 smart meters by 2025, which many analysts thought was a stretch goal, meaning something that was initially thought to be impossible.

“More importantly, the data shows that Aba Power, despite being Nigeria’s youngest DisCo and the smallest in terms of population and geographical spread as it covers only nine of the 17 local government areas (LGAs) in Abia State, provided more prepaid meters than the other 11 DisCos combined”.

The other 11 DisCos were carved out of the defunct Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) and got privatized in November 2013, though the Nigerian government retains 40% shares in each.

The association of electricity consumers disclosed that Aba Power was able to provide 122, 464 prepaid meters by the end of last year through vendor-finance arrangements with four Chinese and Nigerian metering firms.

It supplied 116,883 single-phase meters and 5,581 three-phase meters.

Quoting the Aba Power senior brand and communication manager, Edise Ekong, ECAN explained that his utility metered all 122,464 customers from 27 feeders in and around Aba, Abia Stat’s economic nerve-centre.

“We have actually since this year increased the number of metered customers to 133,000”, stated Ekong, also an engineer, according to ECAN.

“Work is progressing on three feeders, namely, the Omoba Feeder, the Geometric Feeder, and the Polymer Feeder as they have system issues.

“The customers on these feeders will be metered once repair and rehabilitation work on them is concluded”.

Meanwhile, Aba Power’s achievements in unprecedented meter rollout and reliable power have attracted the commendations of stakeholders in the commercial city.

Chief Alphonsus Udeigbo, the President General of the Abia Amalgamated Traders Association, has attributed investors’ renewed interest in the state to Aba’s new status as Nigeria’s city with the most reliable power supply system.

He said In a statement: “Investors like those promoting the 12-storey Marriot Hotel in GRA Aba or the Enyimba Economic City would not have been responding so favourably to Governor Alex Otti’s campaign for investment flow into the state if the electricity problem had not been resolved significantly”.

Engr Leo Emesirim, the President General of the Aba Landlords Protection and Development Association, told journalists this morning that “Aba is set to take its rightful position as Nigeria’s centre of indigenous manufacturing due to constant and quality power supply.

“The Abia State government recognizes the primacy of electricity, and so has been working hand in hand with Aba Power and the Abia people to take the state to a different level”.

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