5.36 Million Electricity Consumers Still Unmetered Nationwide — NERC

The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) has revealed that a significant number of electricity users across Nigeria are still without prepaid meters, exposing millions of households and businesses to estimated billing practices by electricity distribution companies (DisCos).

In its third-quarter 2025 electricity industry performance report, published on the Commission’s official platform, NERC stated that as of 30 September 2025, only 6.662 million customers out of the 12.030 million active registered electricity consumers connected to the national grid had been metered. This translates to a metering coverage level of 55.37 percent, leaving approximately 5.36 million customers without meters nationwide.

The report further explained that during the third quarter of 2025, a total of 228,614 end-user customers received electricity meters across all 12 electricity distribution companies operating in the country. Among the DisCos, Ibadan, Aba, and Abuja recorded the highest volume of meter installations within the period. These three DisCos accounted for 23.38 percent, 20.81 percent, and 19.06 percent of all meters installed nationwide, respectively.

When compared with the second quarter of 2025, where 226,959 customers were metered, the Commission noted a marginal increase of 0.73 percent in total meter deployment in Q3 2025. Although the rise was modest, it indicated a slight improvement in nationwide metering efforts.

Despite the overall increase, the report highlighted that nine distribution companies experienced a decline in meter installation during the quarter under review. Port Harcourt DisCo and Jos DisCo recorded the most significant reductions, with meter installation figures dropping by 62.35 percent and 61.68 percent, respectively.

On the other hand, a few DisCos showed notable growth in metering activities. Aba DisCo recorded the highest improvement with an increase of 173.45 percent, followed by Abuja DisCo, which grew by 38.28 percent, and Ibadan DisCo, which posted a 17.72 percent rise in meter installations during the same period.

NERC also provided a detailed breakdown of how the meters were deployed under different metering frameworks. Out of the 228,614 customers metered in Q3 2025, 176,302 customers, representing 77.12 percent, were connected under the Meter Asset Provider (MAP) scheme. Additionally, 44,104 customers or 19.29 percent were metered through the Vendor-Financed framework. The Distribution Sector Recovery Programme (DISREP) accounted for 7,902 installations or 3.46 percent, while 175 meters (0.08 percent) were installed under the Meter Acquisition Fund (MAF). A further 131 customers or 0.06 percent were metered through the DisCo-Financed arrangement.

Under the MAP scheme alone, 176,302 meters were installed in the third quarter of 2025, representing an 18.20 percent increase compared to the 149,150 meters deployed in the second quarter of the year. Among the distribution companies, Ibadan DisCo recorded the highest number of MAP installations with 53,441 meters, followed by Abuja DisCo with 35,449, and Benin DisCo with 26,690 meters. These figures accounted for 30.31 percent, 20.11 percent, and 15.14 percent, respectively, of all MAP-installed meters during the quarter.