Government to Train 5,000 Youths, NYSC Members As Electricity Meter Technicians

The Federal Government has announced plans to train 5,000 youths, including members of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), as electricity meter technicians to help close the country’s huge metering gap and generate employment opportunities in the power sector.

President Bola Tinubu made the disclosure on Thursday, July 2, via a statement on his official X account. He described the initiative as a key component of the administration’s efforts to boost youth employment while enhancing electricity service delivery across Nigeria.

The training programme will be implemented under the Presidential Metering Initiative (PMI) through The Power Force. It aims to equip participants with practical technical skills needed for the nationwide rollout of electricity meters.

The programme is open to Nigerians who have completed secondary school education, with a dedicated quota reserved specifically for NYSC members.

This development comes barely two weeks after the government revealed plans to deploy seven million electricity meters nationwide.

The move is intended to eliminate estimated billing, promote transparency, protect consumers, and improve revenue collection for electricity distribution companies.

According to the President, the initiative will connect trained youths to real job opportunities in a sector that directly impacts households, businesses, and communities.

Wider access to meters will ensure consumers are billed accurately for energy consumed, while enabling greater investment in power infrastructure.

Nigeria ended 2025 with 6,966,584 metered customers, representing a national metering rate of 57.27%.

However, over 5.19 million active customers still remain on estimated billing, highlighting the urgent need for accelerated deployment and skilled manpower.