Nigerian technology firm Vendr.ng has launched a software platform designed to resolve long-standing disputes over shared electricity meters by enabling residents to monitor and recharge existing smart meters remotely, without purchasing new hardware.
The Lagos-based cloud vending platform targets a widespread problem in Nigeria’s dense urban housing, where millions of households share a single electricity meter. In suburbs such as Agege, Lagos, residents like Amao Sunday have long endured monthly disputes with neighbours over unverified consumption. “There was always a disagreement over who used more electricity,” Sunday said. “That is why I decided to get my own smart meter.”
Vendr.ng’s approach centres on a campaign titled “Already bought a smart meter? We’ll still help you run it.” The platform allows customers with Wi-Fi-enabled prepaid meters — for electricity, gas, or water — to link their existing devices to the Vendr.ng platform. Once connected, users can monitor consumption and recharge remotely, eliminating the need for proprietary metering equipment.
The strategy addresses a key barrier in Nigeria’s metering drive: the high upfront cost of smart meters. While electricity distribution companies have pushed metering as a remedy for estimated billing — a practice that has fuelled public anger for years — the cost of new devices has limited adoption. Vendr.ng’s software-only model lowers the entry barrier, a factor analysts say is critical as households contend with inflation and currency devaluation.
“My role is to ensure that the entire installation process is smooth, from the initial customer engagement to full deployment,” said Abraham Abayomi-Daniels, a project specialist at Vendr.ng. “Communication is key to a successful project.”
The disputes extend beyond neighbours. Landlords frequently absorb unpaid bills when tenants bypass the main meter or leave owing arrears. Mr Obi, a landlord in Lagos, said he repeatedly negotiated with the utility company over bills he did not incur. “Disconnections and reconnections came with their own fees, and it kept eating into my revenue,” he said. After installing a sub-metering system that bills each unit individually, the disputes ceased. “I kept waiting to sort it out, but waiting only cost me more,” he said.
Analysts note that software-based solutions like Vendr.ng’s offer a low-barrier entry point at a time when many Nigerian households are reluctant to take on additional utility spending amid inflation and currency devaluation. Whether such platforms can meaningfully reduce disputes at scale — particularly in the vast informal housing sector — remains to be seen. But for residents like Sunday and landlords like Obi, the shift away from shared, unmonitored billing has already changed how they experience a basic utility many take for granted.
