To bridge Nigeria’s electricity metering gap and deploy seven million smart meters, the Federal Government has flagged off the Power Force training initiative at NAPTIN in Abuja, empowering 5,000 young technicians across all six geopolitical zones.
In a significant stride toward resolving Nigeria’s long-standing energy billing deficit and accelerating the national rollout of seven million smart electricity meters, the Federal Government officially launched the Power Force training initiative in Abuja on Thursday, July 23, 2026.
Executed under the Presidential Metering Initiative (PMI)—established by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in 2023—the human capital development program aims to train and certify 5,000 young Nigerian technicians as professional smart meter installers.
The official flag-off ceremony, hosted at the headquarters of the National Power Training Institute of Nigeria (NAPTIN) in Idu, Abuja, unveiled the first cohort of successful candidates selected from a competitive pool of nearly 220,000 nationwide applicants.
The selected cohort will undergo a three-week intensive practical and classroom curriculum before deploying across various distribution networks.
Speaking at the launch, Minister of Power Joseph Tegbe emphasized that building a certified, competent technical workforce is fundamental to ending arbitrary estimated billing, improving revenue collection efficiency, and stabilizing the financial health of the Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry.
Minister Tegbe highlighted that electricity reforms extend beyond hardware procurement to directly encompass human capital development and sustainable job creation.
He also acknowledged a major legal breakthrough, commending the Association of Meter Manufacturers of Nigeria (AMMON) for withdrawing its court action against the federal metering rollout, thereby removing a critical obstacle to rapid nationwide deployment.
Minister of Youth Development Ayo Olawande affirmed that the Power Force framework directly supports the government’s “One Youth, Two Skills” initiative by providing young citizens with marketable technical competencies and direct pathways to employment.
Representing the Chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) and Kwara State Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq, Mr. Edmund Obiora Nnaji commended the initiative for linking energy reform with youth economic empowerment, urging sub-national leaders to co-fund the program to expand the workforce beyond the initial 5,000 trainees.
Executive Secretary of the PMI and Special Adviser to the President on Energy, Olu Arowolo Verheijen, described the PMI as the largest single metering program in Nigeria’s history, engineered to restore consumer trust by ensuring every household pays strictly for consumed power.
Following its inauguration in Abuja, the Power Force training will scale across regional centers in all six geopolitical zones, with every graduate earning formal competence and safety certification from the Nigerian Electricity Management Services Agency (NEMSA) prior to field deployment.
Visit GMTNewsng for more news stories.
