The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) has revealed that electricity distribution companies (DisCos) appear to have largely abandoned their statutory duty to meter eligible customers, with DisCos funding only 90,172 meters nationwide between 2019 and the third quarter of 2025, according to the Third Quarter 2025 industry report published on Sunday.
The findings highlight growing concerns over metering deficiencies and their implications for estimated billing and revenue losses in the power sector.
NERC’s report shows that meters installed directly under the DisCo‑Financed Framework represented a negligible share of total meter deployments over the six‑year period, despite repeated regulatory directives calling on DisCos to accelerate customer metering. Only 57,007 meters were installed under the framework from 2019 to 2023, while 31,622 meters were added in 2024.
The pace slowed sharply in 2025, with funding of just 1,178 meters in Q1, 234 in Q2, and 131 in Q3.
Data within the report shows that certain DisCos accounted for most of the installations. Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company installed 37,156 meters between 2019 and 2025, while Jos Electricity Distribution Plc recorded a total of 52,174 meters installed over the same period.
Other DisCos made negligible contributions: Enugu Electricity Distribution Company installed 597 meters all before 2023, Kaduna Electricity Distribution Company deployed 149 meters in 2024, and Kano Electricity Distribution Company installed 96 meters in 2024.
Several others, including Eko, Aba, Abuja, Benin, Port Harcourt, and Yola, recorded zero installations under the DisCo‑financed model by the end of Q3 2025.
In contrast to DisCo‑directed funding, most meter deployments during the third quarter of 2025 were executed through alternative frameworks.
A total of 176,302 meters were installed under the Meter Asset Provider (MAP) framework, 44,104 meters under the Vendor‑Financed framework, and 7,902 meters through the Distribution Sector Recovery Programme (DISREP) supported by the World Bank, the report shows.
As of September 30, 2025, NERC said about 6.66 million of 12.03 million active registered electricity customers in Nigeria had been metered, translating to a 55.37 per cent national metering rate.
The remaining 5.36 million unmetered customers continue to grapple with estimated billing and disputes over charges, analysts note, underscoring the urgency of accelerated and equitable metering efforts.
Stakeholders have argued that it is the responsibility of DisCos to meter customers at no cost to them, a regulatory requirement that has not been met, prompting criticisms that customers are being charged for meters with unfulfilled refund promises or left without meters altogether.
NERC has repeatedly emphasised that inadequate metering fuels billing disputes, deepens commercial losses, and undermines revenue collection across the electricity market.
The commission has also implemented initiatives such as the Meter Acquisition Fund (MAF) to accelerate free meter rollout, backed by multi‑billion‑naira interventions and regulatory deadlines for completion.
The report’s revelations come amid ongoing sector reforms aimed at closing Nigeria’s metering gap and improving transparency in billing practices.
NERC officials reaffirm that improved customer enumeration and comprehensive meter deployment remain critical to strengthening the electricity supply industry’s financial and operational sustainability.
With millions of customers still unmetered and disputes over estimated billing prevalent, the limited DisCo‑financed metering effort could intensify pressure on regulators and policymakers to enforce compliance, expand alternative metering frameworks, and protect consumer rights as Nigeria strives toward universal metering.
