According to the latest factsheet from the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC), electricity distribution companies (DisCos) installed a total of 109,556 meters in December 2025, representing a significant jump from the 88,592 installations recorded the previous month.

The Numbers Behind the Surge

The increased pace of installations in the final month of the year has pushed the total number of metered customers nationwide to 6,966,584. However, despite this progress, a substantial gap remains.

• Total Active Customers: 12,163,412
• Total Metered Customers: 6,966,584

The Gap: Over 5.1 million customers (approx. 43%) still lack prepaid meters and remain subject to estimated billing.

Top and Bottom Performing DisCos

The NERC data highlights a wide disparity in performance across the 11 DisCos, with Lagos-based utilities continuing to lead the pack.

The Leaders: Ikeja DisCo recorded the highest metering rate at 86.40%, followed closely by Eko DisCo at 85.87%. Abuja DisCo (AEDC) also maintained a strong performance with a 77.81% metering rate.

The Laggards: Kaduna DisCo remains at the bottom of the table with a metering rate of just 34.42%, meaning roughly two out of every three customers in its franchise area are unmetered. Kano DisCo followed with 35.35%.

Closing the Gap: Federal Interventions

The Federal Government is intensifying efforts to eliminate estimated billing through the Presidential Metering Initiative (PMI).

Under this initiative, ₦700 billion has been committed to delivering 2.5 million prepaid meters and distribution transformer meters nationwide. NERC also recently confirmed that a procurement process is underway with 42 Local Meter Manufacturers and Assemblers (LMMA) to supply an additional 750,000 meters within the next 15 months.

While the month-on-month increase in installations is a positive sign, the 43% unmetered population remains a significant bottleneck for the Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry (NESI).

For DisCos, closing this gap is not just a regulatory requirement but a commercial necessity to reduce collection losses and resolve the persistent disputes associated with estimated billing.

The success of the ₦700 billion PMI will be the ultimate litmus test for the administration’s goal of 100% metering.

The firm is specifically seeking the sum of N1.1 billion in damages and the cost of instituting the court action against the defendants which also includes; the Minister of Power, the Debt Management Office, Providus Bank Ltd, and De-Haryor Global Services Ltd for their alleged interference with the metering project, which it was granted the loan to execute and repay in seven years.

Ziklagsis Network Ltd, in the suit marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/576/2024, is claiming that based on articles 3, 4,5,6,10, and 18(i),(ii),(iii),24 and 29(ii) of the Judgement Compromise Agreement it entered with the Federal Ministry of Power on August 28, 2017, the ministry and the federal government had no powers to tamper, confiscate, seize, withhold, divert, convert and appropriate the sum of N39,171,985,233.95 granted it for the supply or provision of electric meters in Nigeria.

The company, which pointed to the Covid-19 pandemic as the cause of its non-execution of the contract, further submits that there are calculated attempts by the federal government and the Ministry of Power to frustrate and sabotage its efforts in the performance of the terms of the Revalidated Tripartite Agreement as modified by the Addendum No. 2, “which attempts are done in utter bad faith with the ultimate end of truncating and or divesting the plaintiff of the benefit of the project.”

Ziklagsis through its counsel, Chief Wole Olanipekun (SAN) further submits that the defendants frustrated efforts to execute the project by refusing to release the funds despite it being awarded the contract and receiving the presidential approval on the compliance on its part.

In their joint response to the suit, the federal government and the Minister of Power argue that they acted in accordance with the agreement

However, in a counter affidavit, Providus Bank, through its lawyer, Adesegun Ajibola (SAN), described parts of Ziklagsis’ affidavit in support of the originating summons to be false and full of half-truths to mislead the court, adding that the company being only a fixed deposit account customer seeking higher interest on the deposit than offered by Polaris Bank, Providus is not aware of the terms of the agreement it reached with the federal government.

Similarly, in a counter affidavit, an electricity installation company, De-Haryor Global Services Ltd informed the court that the suit was “brought in bad faith, and the court should not lend support for the plaintiff (Ziklagsis)’s action but should rather condemn it.”

De-Haryor’s lawyer, Marcus Abu, submitted that the contract was awarded to Ziklagsis to cushion the effects of the hardship faced by Nigerians in the estimated energy billing through the deployment of free pre-paid meters but the company denied Nigerians the benefit of the project.

The firm added that Ziklagsis has not placed anything on the ground in the court to demonstrate what it has done pursuant to its Exhibit ZNL 5 Agreement while De-Haryor, on the other hand, has substantially executed the contract it has with it.

“By the provision of Article 5(d) of the JCA, the plaintiff (Ziklagsis) was given two years of moratorium within which to supply or provide electric meters in Nigeria according to the JCA,” De-Haryor’s lawyer submitted.

“Meanwhile, the plaintiff (Ziklagsis) did not invest any funds in the performance of same but the 1st and 3rd defendants (federal government and Minister of Power) had already given the sum of over N39 billion to the plaintiff for the execution of the metering project. Rather than perform its obligation under the contract, the plaintiff deposited the said sum in a fixed deposit.”

He continued: “My lord, the mere fact that the 1st and 3rd defendants (federal government and Minister of Power) had already paid the contract sum to the plaintiff (Ziklagsis) shows that the defendants have performed their obligations under the said contract.

“On the other hand, the plaintiff depositing the contract sum in a fixed deposit account is a clear indication that it had no intention to utilise the contract sum for the project intended by the JCA.

“Rather than declaring estoppel against the defendants as prayed in relief 1, the court should declare that the contract is already discharged by the plaintiff’s breach.”

While questioning why the plaintiff’s metering service agreement it executed with the Yola Disco and received the letter of drawdown from the 2nd defendant (Ministry of Power) without supplying a single meter towards the project, he asked “Is the world still being ravaged with Covid-19 pandemic till the time of filing this suit? It is common knowledge that Covid-19 did not last the whole of the year 2020.”

De-Haryor joined the suit as an interested party after delivering on phase one of the barracks metering project for the Nigerian Army under the Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) metering project.

The army had introduced it to the Ziklagsis to receive a loan of N7.5bn of the N39bn granted to the company.

Justice James Omotosho fixed February 4 for the hearing of the suit.

[Source]

The report, which complies with the Electricity Act 2023, provides an evaluation of operational, commercial, and regulatory performance. 

Growth in Power Generation Capacity and Performance

The average available generation capacity of Nigeria’s 28 grid-connected power plants reached 5,100.90MW in Q3 2024, showing a 16.04% increase (+705.13MW) compared to Q2 2024. 

This growth was largely driven by increased capacities in 19 of the 28 plants. 

Improvements were observed at Afam, which recorded a 182% increase, Omotosho with 92%, and Olorunsogo at 84%. These developments contributed to an average hourly generation of 4,280.24MWh/h, a 6.51% improvement from Q2, translating to a total quarterly generation of 9,450.76GWh, up by 7.68%.

The generation mix also saw hydropower contributing 32.60% of the total energy generated, an increase from 26.98% in Q2. 

Seasonal river flows helped in boosting the performance of hydropower plants such as Shiroro (+50.02%), Kainji (+21.86%), and Jebba (+38.56%). Despite this, thermal plants faced challenges, with a 1.69% drop in their cumulative average hourly generation due to constraints like gas supply issues and mechanical faults. Plants like Egbin and Geregu recorded declines of -26.32% and -35.42%, respectively.

Advances in Metering and Revenue Collection

An achievement was recorded in metering, with 184,507 meters installed during Q3, representing a 256.01% increase from Q2’s 51,826 installations. 

This surge elevated the net end-user metering rate from 45.43% to 46.15%. The installations were primarily carried out under the Meter Asset Provider (MAP) framework, accounting for 96.86% of the total. 

NERC has mandated Distribution Companies (DisCos) to leverage all available frameworks to close metering gaps, ensuring consumer protection against overbilling through energy caps for unmetered customers.

Revenue collection also saw improvements. DisCos collected ₦466.69 billion out of the ₦626.02 billion billed, an 8.24% increase compared to Q2. 

However, the collection efficiency dropped slightly to 74.55%, down from 79.31% in Q2. Aggregate Technical, Commercial, and Collection (ATC&C) losses rose to 39.10%, representing a 4.40-percentage-point increase from Q2. 

This included technical and commercial losses at 18.32% and collection losses at 25.45%. No DisCo met its ATC&C target as stipulated in the Multi-Year Tariff Order (MYTO), with Kaduna DisCo recording the worst underperformance (actual ATC&C at 70.84% against a target of 25.00%).

Grid Stability and System Losses

Grid performance remained a mixed bag in Q3. The Transmission Loss Factor (TLF) increased to 9.04%, exceeding the MYTO target of 7.00%. 

This showed that for every 100MWh of energy sent out, 9.04MWh were lost in transmission, marking a decline from the 7.79% recorded in Q2. One incident of partial grid collapse was reported during the quarter, occurring on 6th July 2024. This highlights the need for improved system coordination and infrastructure to prevent disruptions.

Frequency stability showed improvement, with the average quarterly frequency range narrowing to 1.19Hz from 1.51Hz in Q2. The grid operated closer to the standard 50Hz benchmark, thanks to enhanced monitoring systems. However, the absence of a Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) system continues to hinder real-time grid management.

Consumer Affairs and Safety

Consumer engagement remained a priority, with NERC hosting two town hall meetings in Gombe and Calabar to address issues like service-based tariffs, metering, and customer redress mechanisms. 

A total of 328,696 complaints were received across DisCo Customer Complaint Units (CCUs), a 14.35% increase from Q2. Common issues included metering, billing, and service interruptions. Forum Offices resolved 58.90% of active appeals, an improvement from the 54.90% resolution rate in Q2.

Safety remains an issue, with 56 accidents reported in Q3, resulting in 29 fatalities and 28 injuries. While fatalities decreased compared to Q2, injuries saw an increase. Investigations into these incidents are ongoing, and NERC is collaborating with stakeholders to enhance health and safety protocols.

Regulatory Achievements in Power Generation

In Q3, NERC issued 50 new orders and 50 licences, permits, and certifications. These include six off-grid generation licences with a combined capacity of 30.06MW, one on-grid licence renewal, and seven certifications for Meter Service Providers. 

The Commission also conducted five hearings to address stakeholder disputes and issued compliance directives to defaulting operators.

The Q3 2024 report stresses the duality of progress and challenges in Nigeria’s electricity sector. While advancements in generation capacity, metering, and revenue collection signify progress, issues like high ATC&C losses, grid instability, and safety reveal areas needing urgent attention. 

Of the 13,293,739 registered electricity customers in the country, the data stated that as of July, just 6,053,497 homes and offices had been metered, according to ThisDaylive.com’s report.

This therefore implies that over 7.24 million Nigerian electricity consumers still do not have the metering devices in their homes and workplaces, with the attendant opaque estimated billing practices by the electricity Distribution Companies (Discos).

The latest information released by NERC, the power sector regulator indicated that despite the huge number of Nigerians that have no access to meters, only 23,724 power users in Nigeria were supplied meters in April.

In May, 8,733 got meters; in June, only 12,854 were supplied the metering devices, while in July the figure rose markedly to 70,456, according to the data.

To underscore the enormity of the metering challenge in the Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry (NESI), the NERC data further showed the highest number of customer complaints for the four months under consideration were meter-related.

Nigeria has had a prolonged inadequate metering challenge despite several but inconsistent efforts by the federal government to address the issue through some funding regulatory measures.

In recent times, some of the metering schemes include: the National Mass Metering Programme (NMMP); the Meter Asset Provider (MAP) scheme; the Meter Acquisition Fund (MAF) and most recently the Presidential Metering Initiative (PMI).

Although under the law, Discos have the responsibility to install, maintain, and accurately read meters for billing end-use customers, but the electricity distributors have consistently complained of financing constraints.

Before now, the commission required that the installation by Discos after payment should not exceed 10 working days. But the rule is usually observed in the breach, with a number of Nigerians waiting for years to have their devices installed.

Metering all end-use customers by the Discos is expected not only to phase out estimated billing, but is expected to improve the accuracy of energy billing and revenue collection, which will have a positive ripple effect on the electricity value chain in Nigeria.

It will further inject much-needed liquidity into the sector to support infrastructure development.

“No matter what level of bypass you have from metering, in the end, metering is a key enabler to curb collection losses. Once you have metered, you can also invest in the intelligence to reduce infractions,” Prof. Barth Nnaji, a former Minister of Power, who is now Aba Power Chairman, said this month during a NERC meeting with investors/owners of Discos in Abuja.

But according to the NERC factsheets for the four months, in April the metering rate remained abysmally low at 44.67 per cent; it was 45.39 per cent in May; 45.43 per cent in June and 45.54 per cent in July.

During the period under review, Ikeja Disco consistently led the metering rate table with 73.13 per cent in April; 76.25 per cent in May; 76.64 per cent in June and 76.64 per cent in July.

Ikeja was followed by Abuja Disco, which had 61.19 per cent in April; 70.02 per cent in May; 70.17 per cent in June and 70.48 per cent in July.

In August, the federal government disclosed that to close the metering gap, along with the sub-nationals it had raised N100 billion for the procurement of prepaid electricity meters.

Adebayo Adelabu, minister of Power, said this was under the Presidential Meter Initiative (PMI) programme, hinting that many customers were not paying their bills because they believed they were being cheated by the power distribution companies through estimated billing.

Explaining that metering would ensure transparency, Adelabu described the problem as self-inflicted, stressing that investment in metering will help solve a lot of the issues in the sector.

“In the PMI, we have made good progress in sourcing the fund for this, and it is going to be by a combination of the federal and state governments. Today, we have received and we have seen about N100 billion that will go into the procurement of meters,” the minister said.

Separately, he stated that the federal government was set to procure 3.5 million electricity meters by the end of the year to improve revenue for its cash-strapped power sector.

Adelabu stated that most of the supply would be sourced from international vendors, while a smaller quantity is expected to come from local manufacturers due to their limited capacity.