Millions of Nigerians are still struggling with estimated electricity billing as over 41 per cent of power consumers across the country remain without prepaid meters.
New data released by the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) revealed that about 5.1 million electricity customers were yet to be metered as of February 2026.
According to the report, Nigeria currently has about 12.31 million active electricity consumers, but only 7.21 million have prepaid meters installed.
This means millions of households and businesses are still depending on estimated billing, a system many Nigerians have repeatedly criticised over high and unpredictable charges.
NERC’s January and February 2026 metering factsheet showed that the country’s metering rate increased slightly from 57.93 per cent in January to 58.57 per cent in February after the installation of over 121,000 new meters.
Among the electricity distribution companies, Abuja Electricity Distribution Company recorded one of the strongest performances in metering customers.
Eko Disco and Ikeja Electric also ranked among the best-performing DisCos with high metering coverage.
However, several northern distribution companies continued to struggle badly with meter deployment.
According to the report, Yola DisCo had the lowest metering rate in the country at just 31.86 per cent.
Jos, Kano and Kaduna DisCos also recorded low figures, leaving many customers under estimated billing systems.
The report further showed that some DisCos added thousands of new meters in February alone as efforts continue to reduce the metering gap nationwide.
NERC explained that “active customers” refer to consumers who either purchased electricity units or received bills at least once within a one-year period.
The latest figures are expected to renew conversations around estimated billing, electricity reforms and the slow pace of meter distribution in Nigeria’s power sector.
Many Nigerians have continued to demand faster meter rollout to avoid disputes over electricity bills and improve transparency in the sector.
Source:NERC
