Business

Boosting Local Capacity In Meter Production: How MOJEC Encourages Local Content Capacity

Published

3 years ago

July 27, 2022

By Segun Olabode, Lagos

The Ministry of Power has become the latest key sector of the economy to work towards replicating the success achieved with the implementation of Nigerian Content in the oil and gas industry to ensure that ongoing transformation in the sector and massive investments by governments and private sector entities are steered to develop the local supply chain and encourage indigenous manufacturing.

According to Section 3(2) of the Act, exclusive consideration is given to indigenous Nigerian service companies that demonstrate ownership of equipment, Nigerian personnel, and the ability to execute work on land and swamp.

Indigenous meter manufacturers have not been able to produce adequate meters, which indicates the current production capacity in this sector, thereby placing unmetered Nigerians in perpetual wait to possibly no end. Meter manufacturers, like other industrial manufacturers, have faced challenges ranging from retrogressive port systems, foreign energy crises, multiple taxations, and high energy costs.

In its bid to mollify these challenges, MOJEC International Limited, Nigeria’s leading manufacturing company and the largest meter manufacturer in Sub-Sahara Africa, moved into boosting the local capacity of meter production.

The organization is putting a lot of effort into place to bridge the metering gap of over six million unmetered consumers by expanding and boosting its capacity in metering production, leveraging on its wealth of technical and financial experience in the local production of electric meters, thereby demonstrating its robust contribution to the development of local content in the Nigerian power sector.

Metering requires a significant amount of effort in both production and logistics; it is not as simple as purchasing a mobile phone and having it work as soon as a sim card is inserted. Metering the Nigerian populace has been an upheaval in the National Electricity Supply Industry (NES). There have been several mass metering intervention programmes by the Federal government and the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) since the inception of the electricity sector reform under the administration of former President Olusegun Obasanjo to bridge the metering gap.

The majority of these interventions were funded by the Federal Government, which provided direct funding to selected meter companies to import and roll out prepayment meters to electricity consumers. Also provided by the Federal Government were monetary and fiscal incentives such as duty waivers, tax waivers, duty reductions, and concessional funding to local meter assemblers to stimulate the assembling of meters in Nigeria.

Before this time, there were huge factors affecting the local production of meters, as all the components for metering were imported and importation logistics were a major challenge. Getting cargo across the ports comes with challenges. Also, the lack of patronage by distribution companies was a challenge to local manufacturers.

Currently, MOJEC meters are smart and low-voltage city-operated meters, ranging from single-phase to three-phase meters. They are for personal and industrial use. They could be post-paid or pre-paid.

In order to reduce metering gap in Nigeria, MOJEC under its Mobile MAP initiative has continued to push to get more Nigerians metered through its meter penetration and partnership with DisCos across regional areas in the country.

This move would see customers provided with meters within 24 hours, also preventing them to fall prey of extortion from installers in the bid of helping them secure a meter.

MOJEC, as an industry leader in metering technology development, has reached a significant milestone in the local production of smart meters. Apart from manufacturing electricity meters, MOJEC is also in the business of manufacturing water and gas meters.

It is worthy of note that MOJEC’s painstaking effort in meter production has been able to help propagate the objectives of the FGN’s agenda, which include: increasing

Nigeria’s metering rate; increasing local meter manufacturing capacity to strengthen the local meter value chain; creating jobs in the local meter value chain, and supporting Nigeria’s economy by eliminating erratic billings.

In 2020, the Federal Government initiated the National Mass Metering Program in partnership with indigenous meter manufacturers, including MOJEC, following its demonstrated ability to boost the capacity and production of meters locally while hiring and equipping Nigerians with the requisite skills required in the electricity sector.

The government, through NERC, has commended MOJEC for the quality of infrastructure and facilities put in place to support the Federal Government’s intervention Initiative.

The NERC chairman, Professor James Momoh, stated that MOJEC has demonstrated the capacity to support the effort in bridging the metering gap and urged the company to keep working to support the Federal Government and NERC in providing best-in-class smart meters for consumers.

The meter asset provider program is an initiative of the Federal Government under the Ministry of Power and the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission to bridge the metering gap to track the supply of meters to distribution companies and other customers.

MOJEC Meter Company pioneered the concept of smart metering technology in Nigeria by setting up a state-of-the-art electricity meter plant in the country with a production capacity of over 3million meters annually designed to handle the demands of energy customers.

MOJEC manufactures and supplies different types of meter ranging from single-phase meters, three-phase pre-payment meters, whole current meters, low voltage city-operated meters, credit meter/Pre-payment meters to HT metering Panel

Business

Tinubu Approves 15% Import Duty On Petrol, Diesel

Published

1 week ago

October 30, 2025

Editor

President Bola Tinubu has approved a 15 percent ad-valorem import duty on diesel and premium motor spirit (PMS), also known as petrol.

This was announced in a letter dated October 21, 2025, where the private secretary to the president, Damilotun Aderemi, conveyed Tinubu’s approval to the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) and the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA).

Tinubu gave his approval, following a request by the FIRS to apply the 15 percent duty on the cost, insurance and freight (CIF) to align import costs to domestic realities.

With the approval, the implementation of the import duty will increase a litre of petrol by an estimated N99.72 kobo.

The latest development has led to the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) announcing that it has begun a detailed review of the country’s three petroleum refineries, with a view to bringing them back online.

NNPCL Group Chief Executive Officer (GCEO), Bayo Ojulari, made the announcement in a post on his official X handle on Wednesday night.

According to Ojulari, one of the options being explored by the NNPCL is to search for technical equity partners to ‘high-grade or repurpose’ the facilities.

Tagged: “Update on Our Refineries”, Ojulari said: “The NNPCL continues to remain optimistic that the refineries will operate efficiently, despite current setbacks.”

It can be recalled that despite spending about $3 billion on revamping the refineries, only the 60,000 barrels per day portion of the facility worked skeletally for just a few months before packing up.

The Warri refinery has remained ineffective weeks after it was gleefully announced to have returned to production, while the one situated in Kaduna State never took off at all.

Business

NNPCL Raises Fuel Price

Published

4 weeks ago

October 13, 2025

Editor

The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) has increased the pump price of petrol from ₦865 to ₦992 per litre, marking a fresh hike that has sparked widespread concern among motorists and consumers .

As of the time of filing this report, the company has not released any official statement explaining the reason for the sudden adjustment.

During visits to several NNPC retail outlets, The Nation observed fuel attendants recalibrating their pumps to reflect the new price.

At NNPC filling station on Ogunusi road, Ojodu Berger, petrol attendants at the station said they were instructed to change the price to reflect the new rate N992 per litre.

However, checks at Ibafo along the Lagos /Ibadan expressway showed that NNPC outlets still displayed the old price of N875 per litre, although they were not selling to commuters.

Most of the NNPC stations were not dispensing fuel.

Business

CBN Directs Banks To Refund Failed ATM Transactions Within 48hrs

Published

4 weeks ago

October 11, 2025

Editor

The Central Bank of Nigeria has directed Deposit Money Banks and other financial institutions to refund customers for failed Automated Teller Machine transactions within 48 hours, in a sweeping reform aimed at protecting consumers and restoring confidence in the banking system.

The directive is contained in a draft guideline released by the apex bank on Saturday, titled “Exposure of the Draft Guidelines on the Operations of Automated Teller Machines in Nigeria.”

The document, signed by Musa I. Jimoh, Director of Payments System Policy Department, was circulated to banks, payment service providers, card schemes, and independent ATM deployers, with a call for stakeholder feedback by October 31, 2025.

Under the draft, failed “on-us” transactions, where customers use their own bank’s ATM, must be reversed instantly. If technical glitches prevent immediate reversal, the bank is required to manually refund the customer within 24 hours.

For “not-on-us” transactions, involving other banks’ ATMs, refunds must be processed within 48 hours.

“Customers must not be made to suffer for failed transactions caused by system errors or network failures,” the circular stressed.

In a significant shift, the CBN mandated banks and ATM acquirers to deploy technology that automatically reverses failed or partial transactions, removing the need for customers to lodge complaints.

Institutions holding customer funds due to failed disbursements must reconcile and return balances immediately.

According to the apex bank, these measures respond to widespread frustration over delayed refunds and poor customer service and form part of a broader effort to enhance consumer protection, improve reliability, and modernise Nigeria’s payment infrastructure in line with global standards.

The guidelines will also overhaul ATM operations nationwide. Banks and card issuers are now required to deploy at least one ATM for every 5,000 active cards, with phased targets of 30% compliance in 2026, 60% in 2027, and full compliance by 2028. Any future deployment, relocation, or decommissioning of ATMs must receive prior approval from the CBN.

To ensure safety, ATMs must be fitted with anti-skimming devices, CCTV cameras, and placed in enclosed or well-lit areas.

Machines are expected to comply with Payment Card Industry Data Security Standards, maintain audit logs, and display functional helpdesk contacts. At least 2% of all ATMs must feature tactile symbols for visually impaired customers.

ATMs are also required to dispense cash before returning cards, allow free PIN changes, issue receipts for all transactions except balance inquiries, display clear transaction fees, dispense only clean banknotes, and provide backup power to reduce downtime.

Downtime must not exceed 72 consecutive hours, after which operators must inform the public of the cause and expected restoration time.

The CBN will enforce compliance through regular audits, on-site inspections, and monthly reports from ATM operators detailing deployments and locations. Defaulting institutions risk sanctions, though fines were not specified.

The apex bank explained that the overhaul was necessary due to rising complaints about failed transactions, cyber fraud, and declining service quality, noting that “the goal is to build a payments system that works seamlessly for everyone, urban and rural users alike.”

Nigeria’s electronic payments landscape has grown rapidly in recent years, with 200 million cardholders and rising reliance on digital banking, but network failures, poor infrastructure, and delayed reversals have continued to undermine confidence.

The fresh guidelines, coming eight months after a revision of ATM fees, are expected to streamline service delivery, enhance transaction security, and hold banks accountable. Stakeholders are invited to submit feedback ahead of the final policy adoption, which could take effect before the end of the year.