Nigeria: 5.36m Electricity Customers Remain Without Meters - NERC

7 January 2026
Vanguard (Lagos)
By Obas Esiedesa, Abuja

The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) has disclosed that 5.36 million electricity customers nationwide remain without meters, leaving them exposed to the unpredictable estimated billing methods by distribution companies (DisCos).

According to the Commission's third-quarter 2025 industry report published on its website, as of 30 September 2025, only 6.662 million of the 12.030 million active registered electricity customers across the 12 DisCos were metered, representing 55.37 per cent coverage. NERC stated that during the third quarter of 2025, a total of 228,614 end-user customers were metered across all DisCos. Ibadan, Aba and Abuja DisCos recorded the highest number of meter installations, accounting for 23.38 per cent, 20.81 per cent and 19.06 per cent of total installations, respectively.

The report noted that compared to the 226,959 customers metered in Q2 2025, there was a slight increase of 0.73 per cent in total meter installations in Q3 2025.

However, nine DisCos recorded declines in meter installation over the period, with Port Harcourt and Jos DisCos posting the largest drops of 62.35 per cent and 61.68 per cent, respectively. In contrast, Aba (+173.45%), Abuja (+38.28%) and Ibadan (+17.72%) DisCos recorded notable increases in meter installations during the quarter.

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"Out of the 228,614 end-user customers metered in Q3 2025, 176,302 (77.12%) were metered under the Meter Asset Provider (MAP) framework, 44,104 (19.29%) under the Vendor-Financed framework, 7,902 (3.46%) under the Distribution Sector Recovery Programme (DISREP), 175 (0.08%) under the Meter Acquisition Fund (MAF), and 131 (0.06%) under the DisCo-Financed framework," the report stated.

Under the MAP framework, a total of 176,302 meters were installed in Q3 2025, representing an 18.20 per cent increase compared to the 149,150 installations recorded in Q2 2025. Ibadan (53,441), Abuja (35,449) and Benin (26,690) DisCos recorded the highest MAP installations during the quarter, accounting for 30.31 per cent, 20.11 per cent and 15.14 per cent of the total, respectively.

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