Three neighbouring West African countries – Benin, Togo and Niger owed Nigeria about N17.45 billion for electricity supplied during the first quarter of 2026, according to the latest report by the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC).
The report showed that the countries were billed a combined $17.48 million for power exports but paid only $4.82 million, representing a remittance rate of 27.57 per cent. The unpaid balance stood at $12.66 million, equivalent to roughly N17.45 billion.
Nigeria continues to export electricity to the three countries through bilateral agreements involving power generation companies operating within the Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry.
NERC noted that the poor payment record of international customers remains a major challenge for the power sector, worsening liquidity concerns. In contrast, domestic bilateral customers settled about 95 per cent of their invoices during the same period.
Among the international customers, Mainstream-NIGELEC, which supplies electricity to the Niger Republic, recorded the strongest payment performance after paying $2.79 million out of a $4.45 million invoice.
However, Paras-SBEE, Paras-CEET and Odukpani-CEET, which supply electricity to Benin and Togo, made no payments on their respective invoices during the quarter. Two other suppliers, Transcorp-SBEE (Ughelli) and Transcorp-SBEE (Afam 3), made only partial payments.
Despite the weak remittance for current bills, NERC disclosed that some international customers cleared part of their outstanding debts from previous quarters. During the review period, payments totalling $6.64 million were received from three international customers, while nine domestic bilateral customers paid N2.59 billion toward earlier obligations.
Within Nigeria, domestic bilateral customers performed better by paying N5.82 billion out of the N6.12 billion invoiced by the Market Operator, achieving a 95 per cent remittance rate.
The report also highlighted the continued non-payment of electricity bills by Ajaokuta Steel Company Limited and its host community. According to NERC, no payment was made against invoices of N676.88 million issued by the Nigerian Bulk Electricity Trading Plc and N189.38 million issued by the Market Operator during the first quarter of 2026.
