Meter manufacturers withdraw case seeking to stop World Bank funded project

The Association of Meter Manufacturers of Nigeria (AMMON) says it has formally withdrawn a court case it instituted to stop the procurement process for phase two of the national mass metering programme (NMMP).

Ademola Agoro, AMMON president, disclosed this in a statement on Wednesday.

In July 2023, the association petitioned the federal government over a bid by the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) targeted at supplying 1.2 million smart meters to the 11 electricity distribution companies (DisCos) in Nigeria.

The procurement is said to be funded by the World Bank.

Agoro said the decision to close the case was reached after the intervention of Adebayo Adelabu, minister of power, at a stakeholders’ meeting held on Tuesday in Abuja.

During the meeting, the president said the minister promised that AMMON members would be accommodated in the procurement process for the World Bank-funded NMMP phase two through a national competitive bid.

He said the federal government would also work with the local meter manufacturers to implement other metering initiatives in order to address the huge metering gap in the power sector.

Speaking on the minister’s promises, Agoro said the association is happy that the government restated its determination to ensure that Nigeria becomes self-sufficient in local meter manufacturing and production to close the huge metering gap of over 8 million meters.

“Though this is a painful decision for the members of the association, the decision to discontinue the court case stopping the procurement process was done in national Interest and because of liquidity challenges of the Power sector,” Agoro said.

Agoro, therefore, said the association sought the support of all stakeholders to develop the metering sector and the backward integration programme of the federal government.