The Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) says 60 percent of metered customers bypass meters.

Ali Ahmad, TCN’s general manager (GM) made this known at the National Institute of Physics’ webinar series 2.0 on Thursday.

The webinar series was titled “Policy, Regulatory and Technical Constraints in Achieving Energy Security in Nigeria: The Way Forward”.

Ahmad said out of an estimated population of 230 million, only 13,112,134 Nigerians are officially registered to use electricity.

According to him, only 44.23 percent of the 13.11 million customers have meters, highlighting the limited reach of metering in the country.

He also said with 230 million population, only 2.52 percent have been metered.

The GM said the meter bypass is contributing to the nation’s energy poverty, as the country is energy-poor and deficient in energy security.

According to Ahmad, energy security means having a reliable and affordable energy source, while energy poverty refers to the lack of access to good quality, affordable, and reliable energy.

“For a country to be truly independent politically and economically in the 21st century, is to have energy sovereignty and energy independence, and for the sovereignty and independence to be secured at all times and to be backed by the relevant geopolitics,” he said.

“In Nigeria, we have four types of energy poverty; the unserved, the underserved, the poor quality of supply and the served.

“Energy security in turn is the bedrock for the sustainable development and the attainment of it should leave no one, no citizen behind.”

Ahmad said Nigeria’s energy vulnerability is rooted in multiple factors, such as heavy reliance on gas, which limits diversification, and insufficient production capacity, leading to dependence on imports, and unreliable and high-cost gas supply, that further hinders energy security.