As the first term of the Buhari administration winds down, the approval of contracts again took the attention of the Federal Executive Council.

Power was top on the agenda with council approving the purchase of 200,217 meters under the Meter Asset Provider Scheme at a cost of 11.2 billion naira.

The provision of pre-paid meters should ordinarily be the responsibility of the power distribution companies, but the slow pace with which they are going about this task, is what prompted government’s introduction of the Meter Asset Provider Scheme.

But even this scheme is now generating controversy with Nigerians accusing government of exploiting them with the introduction of purchase fees for meters.

The Minister of Power, works and housing, Babatunde Fashola is passionate about correcting this impression.