Eko and Ikeja lead national metering performance as northern DisCos struggle with slow deployment amid rising customer complaints over estimated billing…..
Nigeria’s electricity distribution companies installed 241,590 prepaid meters within the first two months of 2026, but millions of households and businesses across the country are still trapped under estimated billing as the nation’s metering gap remains far from resolved.
Fresh figures released by the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission showed that 119,792 customers received meters in January, while another 121,798 were metered in February, pushing the total number of metered electricity consumers nationwide above 7.2 million.
Despite the progress, the improvement barely shifted the national metering rate, which climbed modestly from 57.93 per cent in January to 58.57 per cent in February. The figures highlight the scale of Nigeria’s lingering electricity billing crisis, with more than five million active customers still operating without meters.
Data from the regulator revealed that the number of active electricity customers increased from 12.23 million in January to 12.31 million in February, meaning a significant percentage of consumers continue to face controversial estimated billing practices that have triggered years of public outrage.
Among the country’s electricity distribution companies, Eko Electricity Distribution Company retained its position as the best-performing utility in metering coverage, posting an 87.62 per cent metering rate in February, slightly higher than the 87.15 per cent recorded a month earlier.
Ikeja Electric followed closely with 87.16 per cent, while Abuja DisCo recorded 79.37 per cent after improving from 78.54 per cent in January. Port Harcourt DisCo also maintained performance above the national average, increasing its metering rate to 66.36 per cent.
Benin Electricity Distribution Company emerged as the most aggressive in meter deployment during the review period. The utility installed 25,912 meters in January and another 25,658 in February, bringing its total installations within two months to 51,570 — the highest among all DisCos.
Ibadan DisCo, which serves the largest customer base in the country, posted a metering rate of 52.23 per cent in February. However, with nearly 2.5 million active customers, almost half of its consumers still remain without meters.
In contrast, Enugu DisCo recorded one of the weakest performances during the period. Its metering rate showed almost no movement, while the number of newly metered customers dropped sharply from 4,839 in January to just 691 in February.
The situation was even more concerning in parts of northern Nigeria, where several distribution companies continued to post some of the lowest metering levels nationwide.
Jos DisCo improved slightly to 34.04 per cent, Kaduna DisCo rose to 35.59 per cent, while Kano DisCo barely moved from 35.36 per cent to 35.37 per cent despite servicing close to 800,000 customers. Records showed the company installed only 310 meters across the two-month period.
Yola DisCo also remained among the poorest-performing utilities, although its metering penetration increased marginally to 31.86 per cent.
Industry stakeholders have repeatedly blamed the slow pace of meter rollout on rising procurement costs, foreign exchange volatility, financing difficulties, and supply chain disruptions affecting the power sector.
Over the years, the Federal Government and electricity regulators have launched several programmes aimed at closing the metering gap, improving revenue collection, and ending estimated billing. However, the latest figures suggest that the challenge remains significant, with roughly four out of every 10 electricity consumers in Nigeria still without prepaid meters.
