The Federal Government has launched the PMI Power Force programme to train 5,000 youths as smart meter installers after receiving over 217,000 applications nationwide.
The Federal Government on Thursday officially flagged off the Power Force programme, a national initiative under the Presidential Metering Initiative (PMI) designed to train and certify 5,000 young Nigerians as smart meter installers.
The Presidential Metering Initiative (PMI), which is implementing the programme launched by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in 2023. The ceremony also featured the unveiling of the first batch of selected applicants, who will undergo a three-week intensive practical and classroom training in Abuja before deployment nationwide.
The launch ceremony took place at the National Power Training Institute of Nigeria (NAPTIN) headquarters in Abuja, drawing government officials, regulators, development partners, and stakeholders from across the power sector.
217,000 applications for 5,000 places
Speaking at the launch, the Executive Secretary of the Presidential Metering Initiative (PMI), Olu Arowolo Verheijen, disclosed that the programme attracted more than 217,000 applications from young Nigerians for just 5,000 available slots, describing the overwhelming response as evidence of a generation eager to work if given the opportunity.
“That tells us something profound,” she said. “A generation that is ready to work… if given the opportunity.”
Verheijen described Power Force as more than a skills acquisition programme, saying it is an investment in people and the future of Nigeria’s electricity sector. She said the broader Presidential Metering Initiative, being implemented in partnership with the 36 state governments and the World Bank, will deploy more than seven million smart meters nationwide, the largest metering programme in the country’s history established under President Tinubu “to solve one of the biggest barriers to a reliable electricity sector: ensuring that every Nigerian pays only for the electricity they actually use”.
She added: “One young installer cannot transform Nigeria. But five thousand can inspire fifty thousand. And fifty thousand can inspire millions more. That is how movements begin. One opportunity. One person. One act of service at a time.”
“No nation develops without capable people,” she said, adding that Power Force was created to build the skilled workforce required to deliver the nationwide metering rollout.
Minister of Power Joseph Tegbe framed the 5,000 trainees as the critical human infrastructure underpinning Nigeria’s electricity reform agenda.
“Behind every successful metering programme must stand thousands of competent, certified and dedicated technicians. The 5,000 young Nigerians being trained under this initiative will become the backbone of Nigeria’s smart metering workforce,” Tegbe said.
He added that the initiative “demonstrates that our electricity reforms are not merely about equipment and technology; they are equally about creating opportunities, building human capital and securing livelihoods.”
Tegbe also commended the Association of Meter Manufacturers of Nigeria (AMMON) for withdrawing a court action it had instituted against the meter deployment programme, noting that “that singular decision has removed a significant obstacle to the accelerated deployment of electricity meters across the country.”
One Youth, Two Skills
Minister of Youth Development Ayodele Olawande, who delivered the second keynote address, said Power Force directly supports his Ministry’s One Youth, Two Skills initiative.
“This is not just the launch of a training programme; it is about creating jobs and opportunities for Nigerian youths to contribute to national development,” Olawande said.
“President Tinubu’s administration has demonstrated that Nigeria’s federal ministries, departments and agencies can have the force of collaboration in making sure the dividends of democracy get to everybody in the country.”
The Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) Chairman and Kwara State Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq, represented at the event by NGF Executive Director of Finance and Administration Edmund Obiora Nnaji, said the programme goes beyond fixing the power sector’s finances.
“PMI is not just about fixing the finances of the power sector through metering. It is also about impacting the lives of young Nigerians, through training and skills development,” Abdulrazaq said.
He called on fellow governors to consider “supporting this Power Force initiative with a view to expanding the pool beyond the initial five thousand trainees being targeted.”
The Director-General of NAPTIN, Ahmed Bolaji Nagode, confirmed that the programme will train and certify 5,000 youths, with an additional 5,000 expected to secure employment upon completion effectively creating pathways for 10,000 young Nigerians.
Also speaking, Bureau of Public Enterprises Director-General Ayodeji Gbeleyi highlighted smart metering as central to ongoing reforms aimed at improving efficiency, transparency, and revenue collection across Nigeria’s electricity sector.
Training structure and what comes next
Participants will undergo a three-week intensive programme combining classroom instruction with practical field training at NAPTIN. Upon completion, trainees will receive formal certification from NEMSA as qualified meter installers meeting national and international competence and safety standards, before being connected to deployment opportunities with distribution companies, meter providers and other industry partners.
Other dignitaries at the flag-off included BPE Director-General Ayo Gbeleyi, Nigerian Electricity Management Services Agency (NEMSA) Managing Director Adesayo Olusegun Michael and PMI Project Director Obafemi Solebo.
Following the Abuja launch, Power Force training will expand to centres across all six geopolitical zones, ensuring no part of Nigeria is left behind in what the government has described as the most ambitious metering deployment in the country’s history.
