ABUJA, July 23, 2026

The Federal Government has launched Power Force to train 5,000 youths, accelerate the rollout of more than seven million smart meters and build a skilled workforce for Nigeria’s electricity reforms.

Nigeria’s drive to end estimated billing and close its electricity metering gap entered a major new phase on Thursday, July 23, as the Federal Government launched the Presidential Metering Initiative (PMI) Power Force at the National Power Training Institute of Nigeria (NAPTIN), Abuja, to train 5,000 young Nigerians as certified smart meter installers for the nationwide deployment of more than seven million smart meters.

Officials said the programme goes beyond technical training; Power Force is designed to build the skilled workforce needed to support the deployment of more than seven million smart meters nationwide. The initiative will train and certify 5,000 young Nigerians as smart meter installers while creating direct employment opportunities across the electricity value chain.

The programme was launched by the Minister of Power, Joseph Tegbe, the Minister of Youth Development, Ayodele Olawande, the PMI Executive Secretary, Olu Arowolo Verheijen, Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) Chairman and Kwara State Governor, Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq, represented by the NGF Executive Director of Finance and Administration, Edmund Obiora Nnaji, regulators and power sector stakeholders for what organisers described as not just the launch of a training cohort, but the beginning of a movement.

Speaking during the launch, the Executive Secretary of the PMI, Olu Arowolo Verheijen, described Power Force as an investment in people rather than technology.

“Power Force is not really about smart meters. Smart meters are simply the tool. People are the mission.”

Other dignitaries in attendance included the Director-General of the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE), Ayo Gbeleyi; the Managing Director of NAPTIN, Ahmed Bolaji Nagode; the Managing Director of the Nigerian Electricity Management Services Agency (NEMSA), Adesayo Olusegun Michael; and the Project Director of the PMI, Obafemi Solebo.

What is POWER FORCE and why does it matter?

Power Force is the workforce development arm of the Presidential Metering Initiative (PMI), created to address one of the biggest challenges facing Nigeria’s electricity reforms, the shortage of skilled personnel required to install millions of smart meters across the country.

According to Verheijen, the Federal Government established the Presidential Metering Initiative under the leadership of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in 2023 to ensure Nigerians pay only for the electricity they consume while improving transparency and efficiency in the power sector.

The initiative is being implemented with the 36 state governments, the World Bank and other partners and will oversee the deployment of more than seven million smart meters; this is the largest metering programme in Nigeria’s history.

“Seven million smart meters require thousands of skilled Nigerians. Capital can be raised. Equipment can be procured. But no nation develops without capable people,” Verheijen said.

She explained that Power Force was created not merely to install meters but to build careers, strengthen technical capacity and contribute to long-term national development.

The revenue and reform case for metering

Behind the programme is an electricity sector still grappling with low metering coverage, revenue losses and widespread consumer complaints over estimated billing. In the first quarter of 2026, Nigeria’s eleven distribution companies (DisCos) achieved revenue collection of N597.56 billion, representing 78.95 percent collection efficiency — but N159.37 billion remained unpaid in the same three-month window, a gap directly tied to the unmetered consumer base.

Two total system collapses in early 2026 underlined the fragility of an electricity sector still hampered by revenue shortfalls that limit investment in maintenance and infrastructure. Flooding the market with 5,000 certified smart meter installers is intended to accelerate the closure of this gap by dramatically expanding metering coverage, improving billing accuracy and reducing the estimated billing that has for decades been the most persistent source of consumer grievance in Nigeria’s electricity sector.

220,000 applications reveal a generation ready for opportunity

One of the most striking revelations at the launch…

Verheijen disclosed that the programme received more than 220,000 applications for just 5,000 available training places, describing the response as one of the clearest indicators of the country’s demand for meaningful employment and technical skills.

“We knew this opportunity would matter. What we did not expect was just how deeply it would resonate. Applications have now closed. For just 5,000 places, we received more than 220,000 applications from young Nigerians across our country.”

She added:

“That tells us something profound. It tells us that beneath every statistic about unemployment lies something even more powerful: A generation that is ready to work… if given the opportunity.”

Watch the Minister’s speech and other event clips in the video highlights below.

What the Speakers Announced

Joseph Tegbe: Trainees are the backbone of Nigeria’s metering future

Minister of Power Joseph Tegbe described the first cohort of Power Force trainees as the skilled workforce that will underpin Nigeria’s electricity reforms, saying the country’s smart metering ambitions depend as much on people as technology.

“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 Power Force demonstrates that electricity reforms extend beyond infrastructure.

“This 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.”

He also revealed that the Federal Government had resolved the legal dispute with the Association of Meter Manufacturers of Nigeria (AMMON) that stalled the procurement of 1.55 million smart meters. According to the minister, the resolution followed negotiations involving the Ministry of Power, the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE) and the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN), allowing procurement under the Presidential Metering Initiative (PMI), Distribution Sector Recovery Programme (DISREP) and Meter Acquisition Fund Phase 3 (MAF 3) to resume.

Ayodele Olawande: POWER FORCE is creating jobs, not just training youths

Minister of Youth Development Ayodele Olawande positioned Power Force within the Federal Government’s One Youth, Two Skills programme, describing it as a practical response to youth unemployment.

“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 the initiative reflects a new level of collaboration across government institutions.

“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.”

He added that Power Force offers young Nigerians “a direct pathway to meaningful work that supports national development.”

Olu Arowolo Verheijen: ‘People are the mission’

Delivering the programme’s special address, PMI Executive Secretary Olu Arowolo Verheijen disclosed that nearly 220,000 young Nigerians applied for just 5,000 available training places, describing the response as evidence of a generation eager to work.

“That tells us something profound. It tells us that beneath every statistic about unemployment lies something even more powerful: a generation that is ready to work, if given the opportunity. Our responsibility is to keep creating those opportunities.”

Verheijen said the Presidential Metering Initiative was established to solve one of Nigeria’s biggest electricity challenges through the deployment of more than seven million smart meters in partnership with the 36 state governments, the World Bank and implementation partners.

She also acknowledged the frustration many young Nigerians feel about the country’s prospects.

“If I asked every young Nigerian in this room one question — ‘Do you believe Nigeria can still work?’ — I suspect I would hear many different answers. Some would say yes. Some would hesitate. Some might quietly say, ‘I want to believe… but I’ve been disappointed before.”

She added:

“Power Force is not really about smart meters. Smart meters are simply the tool. People are the mission.”

Closing her address, Verheijen linked the programme’s immediate targets to its broader ambition.

“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.”

She said every graduate will receive professional training through NAPTIN, certification through NEMSA, and a direct pathway into employment with electricity distribution companies and meter providers.

Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq: Governors should expand the programme

Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) Chairman and Kwara State Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq, represented by the NGF Executive Director of Finance and Administration, Edmund Obiora Nnaji, urged state governments to build on the Federal Government’s initiative.

“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.”

He called on governors to support the initiative beyond the first intake.

“Supporting this Power Force initiative with a view to expanding the pool beyond the initial five thousand trainees being targeted.”

Training structure, certification and a pathway to employment

Unlike many skills acquisition programmes, Power Force has been designed with employment in mind.

The first cohort will undergo a three-week intensive programme at NAPTIN in Abuja, combining classroom instruction with practical field training. Upon completion, trainees will receive formal certification from NEMSA as qualified meter installers who have met national and international competence and safety standards.

Successful graduates will be connected to deployment opportunities with distribution companies, meter asset providers, meter manufacturers and other industry partners within the power value chain.

What Trainees and Officials Had to Say About Power Force

To complement our coverage of the launch, The Daily Circular spoke with trainees and stakeholders about what the Presidential Metering Initiative (PMI) Power Force means for Nigeria’s electricity sector and the opportunities it creates for young Nigerians.

The interviews explore how Power Force will expand smart metering, reduce estimated billing, fit into the broader Presidential Metering Initiative (PMI), and equip young Nigerians with practical skills for careers in the power sector.

Mr Triumph described Power Force as a timely initiative, saying Nigeria needs more trained technicians to improve energy access and strengthen the country’s electricity reforms.

Mohamed, an Electrical Engineering graduate selected for the programme, said he hopes the training will bridge the gap between theory and practice, equipping him with hands-on skills to contribute to the power sector.

Another trainee, Ibrahim, said he expects the programme to support Nigeria’s transition from estimated billing to a more transparent, technology-driven electricity system while giving participants the knowledge to drive the sector’s digital transformation.

Participant and stakeholders interviews from the event are included in the video highlights below.

From Abuja to communities across Nigeria

Training under the first phase of Power Force begins in Abuja before expanding to all six geopolitical zones, ensuring nationwide participation.

Officials say the programme will do more than produce meter installers. It is expected to build a pipeline of skilled professionals capable of supporting Nigeria’s electricity reforms while giving thousands of young Nigerians access to sustainable careers.

For consumers, the benefits could be equally significant. Faster smart meter deployment is expected to improve billing accuracy, reduce disputes over estimated bills, strengthen confidence in the electricity market and support a more efficient power sector.

Closing her address, Verheijen urged participants to see themselves as builders of Nigeria’s future.

“The greatest resource of any nation is not what lies beneath its soil. It is what lies within its people. Today, through Power Force, we are investing in that greatest resource. And when Nigeria invests in her people, there is no limit to what Nigerians can build. Let us build it—together.”

What POWER FORCE means for Nigeria

The seven million smart meters the PMI is deploying represent the most ambitious metering programme in Nigeria’s history. The 5,000 trained installers Power Force will produce in its first cohort are the human component of that ambition, the technicians who will take meters from warehouses and install them in homes, businesses and communities across the country.

With the AMMON legal dispute resolved, procurement unblocked for 1.55 million meters across three programmes, and the first training cohort now under way in Abuja; the conditions for accelerated metering rollout are more aligned than they have been at any point in the programme’s history.

As Verheijen put it, “Every smart meter installed means a family pays only for what it consumes. It means trust replacing suspicion. Transparency replacing uncertainty. Investment replacing hesitation. Growth replacing stagnation. One smart meter cannot transform Nigeria. But seven million can.”

POWER FORCE at a glance

• Trainees: 5,000
• Applications received: Nearly 220,000
• Smart meters planned: More than 7 million
• Training: NAPTIN
• Certification: NEMSA
• Employment pathway: DisCos, meter manufacturers and meter providers
• Phase one: Abuja
• Expansion: Six geopolitical zones

The Daily Circular was present at the PMI-POWER FORCE launch in Abuja on July 23, 2026. This report is based on firsthand coverage and verified public statements from speakers at the event.

Scenes and moments from the event