Adelabu Criticizes IBEDC On Prepaid Meters
The Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, has criticised the Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company for releasing just 16,300 of the 59,000 free prepaid meters provided by the Federal Government.
He spoke during a visit to the company’s headquarters in Ibadan, warning that the delay is hurting customers and weakening the power sector.
He said the meters were supplied to improve billing accuracy and boost revenue, not to sit unused in storage.
The minister added that slow deployment fuels estimated billing complaints and revenue leakages, forcing him to summon IBEDC’s management after repeated consumer grievances.
Adelabu noted that while the company showed progress in 2025, performance has slipped this year.
He urged IBEDC to treat meter rollout as urgent and explore options such as embedded generation, franchising, mini-grids and tapping into the Ikere Gorge Dam project to improve supply within its coverage area.
IBEDC’s Managing Director, Francis Agoha, admitted the firm has faced challenges, including operating for four years without core investors.
He said new investors have now taken over and pledged fresh funding, promising that improvements will soon be visible across the seven states under the company’s franchise.
