The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) has announced that the total number of active customers across all eleven Distribution Companies (DisCos) increased from 11.89 million in July to 11.96 million in August 2025.
This is contained in the Commission’s latest Metering Factsheet for July and August 2025, released via its official X (formerly Twitter) handle on Monday.
“Out of these, 6.58 million customers were metered, resulting in a metering rate of 55.01%, up slightly from 54.71% in July. A total of 70,888 customers were newly metered in August, compared to 76,783 in July, reflecting ongoing metering efforts across the Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry (NESI),” the regulator stated.
NERC stated that the improved metering figures reflect ongoing reforms and investments in customer management by DisCos, aimed at enhancing billing transparency and consumer trust.
The factsheet also ranked Eko, Ikeja, and Abuja DisCos among the top performers in metering coverage nationwide. Eko DisCo recorded a metering rate of 84.25%, Ikeja DisCo 84.83%, while Abuja DisCo stood at 73.92%.
These utilities, NERC added, continue to set performance benchmarks for other DisCos still struggling to achieve significant coverage within their franchise areas.
To accelerate the process, NERC recently approved N28 billion under Tranche B of the Meter Asset Financing (MAF) Scheme to enable DisCos procure and install meters for unmetered Band A and Band B customers.
According to the Commission, the funds are specifically targeted at closing the metering gap among premium customers, ensuring accurate billing and reducing estimated billing disputes.
Industry experts have long identified the metering deficit, currently affecting nearly half of electricity consumers, as one of the major factors undermining transparency in Nigeria’s power sector. Unmetered customers often face arbitrary or estimated billing, leading to frequent complaints and poor revenue collection for DisCos.
Earlier, NERC reported that DisCos installed a total of 225,631 meters in the second quarter of 2025, marking a 20.55% increase compared to the 187,161 meters installed in the first quarter of the year.
According to NERC’s Q2 2025 report, of the total meters installed, 147,823 units (65.52%) were deployed under the Meter Asset Provider (MAP) framework, 65,315 meters under the Meter Acquisition Fund (MAF) scheme, 12,259 meters through the Vendor Financed framework, and 234 meters were installed under the DisCo Financed scheme.
Despite this progress, NERC noted that as of June 2025, only 6,422,933 out of the 11,821,194 active registered customers in the Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry (NESI) had been metered.
In April, NERC penalised eight DisCos – including Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC), Ikeja Electric (IKEDC), Eko Electricity Distribution Company (EKEDC), Enugu Electricity Distribution Company (EEDC), Jos Electricity Distribution Company (JEDC), Kaduna Electric, Kano Electricity Distribution Company (KEDCO), and Yola Electricity Distribution Company (YEDC) – for failing to adhere to the monthly energy caps imposed on estimated billing for unmetered customers.
The Commission imposed a combined fine of over N628 million on the eight DisCos. In addition to the monetary penalties, NERC directed each company to provide credit adjustments to all affected customers.