The Minister of Power, Mr. Adebayo Adelabu, says the Federal Government has released N12.7 billion to provide smart meters in Army barracks across the country.
The amount is from the N40 billion earmarked for the mass metering project.
The Special Adviser on Strategic Communication and Media Relations to the Minister, Mr Bolaji Tunji said this in a statement in Abuja on Monday.
He quoted the minister as saying this during the flag-off of the metering exercise at the Headquarters of the 9th Brigade of the Nigerian Army, Ikeja Military Cantonment.
He said the exercise for the smart meters would be in phases with the Ikeja cantonment being the first phase, and would last for six weeks before the second phase begins.
“Mass metering in army formations nationwide will enable us to know what is being consumed every month to ensure appropriate billings and ease collections.
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“The overall intention is to eliminate and make estimated billing a thing of the past,” the Minister said, indicating that the current exercise is part of President Bola Tinubu’s renewed hope agenda to ensure a regular supply of electricity to army formations nationwide.
“This is one of Mr. President’s objectives is contained in the renewed hope agenda to ensure that electricity supply to the armed forces is prioritized and they do not suffer, especially in the enjoyment of public utilities,” he said.
Adelabu said the smart meters being installed are tamper-proof and would eliminate energy theft.
He said that it would be difficult to bypass the meter which also comes with an app where customers can get statements of their consumption every month.
He said that the meter allows interconnectivity between the grid and the off-grid solar power supply.
The minister said that part of the energy blueprint for the country was also to build off-grid power sources such as solar energy for military barracks located in remote areas without grid supply.
He said that where there is a grid supply, there would be an interchange between the grid and solar supply if not satisfied with the number of hours supplied by the Distribution Companies (DISCOs).
“Beyond metering, we have to prioritize electricity supply to the barracks,” he said.
Adelabu said the metering project would be extended to all military formations in the country to provide 24-hour power supply to the barracks.
Also speaking, Mr. Ashade Olatunbosun, Chief Executive Officer of De Haryor Global Services, said that the second phase of the project would begin in Abuja and Enugu, simultaneously.
He said that military formations across the 11 DisCos would benefit from the exercise.
“Army formations in Jos, Abuja, Ibadan, Enugu, Kaduna, Ikeja, and Eko DisCos will benefit from the exercise,” he said.
Speaking earlier, Maj.-Gen. A. Adetuyi, Commander, 9th Brigade, Nigerian Army, Ikeja, said that the Federal Government metering initiative was timely as the brigade headquarters has been getting epileptic power supply over time.
Adetuyi said that on investigation, he found out that the brigade was only being given three hours of electricity daily and on some days, they did not even get supplies.
“We have tried to resolve this and we have even involved the state government without any result.
“We also discovered that we were always being given estimated bills, though we would not have minded if the power supply was regular,” he said.
