OVER HALF of Nigeria’s electricity customers still rely on estimated billing, highlighting a persistent issue in the power sector.
The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) revealed in its 2024 third-quarter report that 53.85% of registered electricity customers nationwide remain unmetered.
The report showed that, as of 30th September 2024, only 6,156,726 (46.15%) of the 13,339,635 registered electricity customers across the twelve distribution companies (DisCos) were metered.
This leaves 7,182,909 customers still without meters.
Despite this gap, progress has been made. NERC noted that 184,507 customers were metered in Q3 2024, marking a significant 256.01% increase compared to the second quarter when 51,826 customers were metered.
Ikeja, Ibadan, and Abuja DisCos led the installations, contributing 25.45%, 21.48%, and 14.61% of the total new meters respectively.
NERC highlighted substantial gains in meter installations across several DisCos, with Eko DisCo recording a 2,120% improvement in Q3 compared to Q2.
Ibadan, Ikeja, and Benin DisCos also showed impressive progress, with increases of 575.60%, 417.40%, and 389.32%, respectively.
However, Aba, Kaduna, and Jos DisCos reported declines in metering, with reductions of -43.90%, -24.69%, and -9.31%.
To address the shortfall, the Federal Government has ramped up efforts to procure meters.
In October 2024, Minister of Power Adebayo Adelabu disclosed that 1.8 million meters had been procured, with deliveries expected to begin by December 2024.
This procurement is part of a broader strategy to acquire three million meters annually over five years, supported by the World Bank’s financing for an additional 3.5 million meters.
By the second quarter of 2025, all 1.8 million meters from the current procurement phase are expected to be delivered.
Adelabu expressed optimism that these measures would gradually eliminate the estimated billing system, stating, “With this, we believe that the days of estimated billing are getting over gradually.”
In November 2024, NERC mandated DisCos to replace obsolete meters for customers at no cost, following reports that some companies were charging customers for replacing outdated Unistar prepaid meters.
In December 2024, the Presidency reinforced the urgency of metering, urging the Power Ministry to accelerate the National Mass Metering Programme (NMMP) as a cornerstone of power sector reforms.
This initiative aims to bridge the metering gap and address the long-standing issues in Nigeria’s electricity distribution system.
