The Minister of power, Adebayo Adelabu has criticised the Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company (IBEDC) for distributing only 16,300 out of the 59,000 free prepaid meters supplied by the Federal Government, describing the development as unacceptable and detrimental to both consumers and the power sector.
The minister made his position known during a one-day working visit to IBEDC’s corporate headquarters in Ibadan at the weekend.
Adelabu warned that the failure to deploy the meters promptly not only undermined IBEDC’s revenue targets but also encouraged billing irregularities and sharp practices within its franchise area.
“The Federal Government did not procure these meters to remain idle in warehouses. They were provided to help utilities strengthen their financial viability, improve transparency in billing, and ensure that customers pay accurately for electricity consumed.”
“Going forward, I would like to encourage IBEDC to leverage every regulatory and operational opportunity available to it. One such opportunity is embedded generation,” Adelabu stated.
He insisted that the immediate deployment of the available meters must be treated as a priority intervention to rebuild customer confidence, reduce aggregate technical, commercial and collection losses, and safeguard the long-term sustainability of the power sector.
The minister disclosed that persistent complaints from electricity consumers within IBEDC’s franchise area compelled him to summon the company’s management for urgent discussions.
“I have been receiving complaints from the electricity consumers from the IBEDC franchise area on the kind of services being rendered.”
“In 2025, I put a call forward to the Managing Director of the IBEDC to commend his activities on the improvement of electricity distribution in its franchise area.”
“However, in the year 2026, the performance indices graph shows that the situation is not the same again. Our engagement on some of the issues affecting the distribution of energy to the catchment area reflects the federal government’s commitment to maintaining close, solution-oriented relationships with operators in the Nigerian electricity supply industry.”
“Our objective is to hear directly from IBEDC, understand their operational realities, identify their pain points, and explore how the government can better support their ambition as a utility responsible for powering homes, businesses, and industries.”
“This engagement is in line with the ambitious plan of President Bola Tinubu to transform Nigeria’s power sector by ensuring reliable electricity for all Nigerians.”
Adelabu further highlighted strategic opportunities available to IBEDC, including the concession of the Ikere Gorge Dam to Quaint Energy, which he said could integrate up to 10MW of additional capacity into the company’s network.
“The concession of the Ikere Gorge Dam to Quaint Energy presents a viable pathway to integrate up to 10MW of additional capacity into your network. Strategic engagement on this opportunity could help boost supply reliability within your franchise area.”
“In addition, I encourage IBEDC to explore franchising arrangements and interconnected mini-grid partnerships actively.”
“Government remains committed to creating a supportive policy and regulatory environment for viable electricity distribution businesses.”
“Our collective goal is to ensure that DisCos, such as IBEDC, are not only financially sustainable, but also capable of delivering reliable, affordable, and improved electricity services to all Nigerians,” he said.
Responding, IBEDC’s Managing Director, Mr Francis Agoha, acknowledged the Federal Government’s support while outlining the company’s operational constraints.
He revealed that IBEDC had operated without core investors for the past four years, a situation he said had significantly affected certain aspects of its performance.
Agoha noted that the company had sustained an electricity supply across the seven states within its franchise largely due to government backing, particularly from the Ministry of Power.
He, however, announced that new core investors have now acquired IBEDC, are committed to injecting fresh capital, and to repositioning the company.
“We have also been working hand-in-hand with stakeholders, Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN), Rural Electrification Agency, and all the contractors handling various government power projects within our franchise area.”
“I want to commit here that in the next couple of months and in the future, we’ll see all the benefits of all the partnerships that we’ve had on the ground so far,” he said.
