Electricity users across Nigeria paid about N2.3 trillion for power supply within a 12-month period, even as complaints over poor service and estimated billing continued, data from the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) has shown.
According to an analysis of NERC’s monthly reports on the commercial performance of electricity distribution companies (DisCos), consumers made payments totalling N2.311 trillion between December 2024 and November 2025. During the same period, DisCos issued electricity bills valued at roughly N3.005 trillion, leaving an uncollected balance of about N693.49 billion.
The data indicated that October 2025 recorded the highest consumer payment, with N210.92 billion remitted for electricity. This was followed closely by November 2025, when payments stood at N208.78 billion, while April 2025 recorded N199.85 billion.
Quarterly figures showed a steady rise in consumer spending on electricity. Payments in the first quarter of 2025 amounted to N559.32 billion, increasing by 2.5 per cent to N573.53 billion in the second quarter and rising further to N581.33 billion in the third quarter.
Despite the growing payments, NERC disclosed that a significant number of electricity users remain without meters.
About 5.3 million customers roughly 44 per cent of the 12.07 million registered consumers nationwide are still unmetered.
This is in spite of efforts by the Federal Government to address the issue. In 2025, about N700 billion was allocated under the Presidential Metering Initiative to procure and distribute meters to consumers at no cost.
Speaking in Lagos at the weekend, the Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, reiterated that more than 2.5 million meters under the initiative must be installed free of charge. He added that this would complement an additional 3.4 million meters being provided through the World Bank-supported Distribution Sector Recovery Programme, aimed at eliminating estimated billing.
The minister stressed that neither the meters nor their installation should attract any fee, warning that anyone found extorting consumers would face prosecution.
However, some DisCos have argued that while the meters are provided free, installation costs should be borne by customers – a position strongly opposed by consumer groups.
A coalition of civil society organisations, operating under the Nigerian Human Rights Community, described the government’s stance as being in the interest of electricity users and called for strict sanctions against DisCos that charge for government-funded meters.
The group alleged that some DisCos demand between N250,000 and N350,000 from consumers before connecting meters, adding that it had received widespread complaints of exploitation, including alleged damage to meters to force customers back onto estimated billing.
Similarly, the Nigeria Electricity Consumer Advocacy Network accused DisCos of deliberately slowing down metering in order to sustain estimated billing, which it said was more profitable for them.
The group argued that consumers are often billed even when electricity is not supplied, describing the situation as Nigerians “paying for darkness,” and called for stronger oversight of electricity distribution companies.
