Nigeria’s national electricity metering rate inched higher in December 2025, reflecting a steady, if gradual, expansion in customer metering efforts across the distribution sector, according to official data.
The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) reported that electricity distribution companies (DisCos) installed meters for 109,556 customers in December 2025. This figure, published in the Commission’s Metering Factsheet covering November and December 2025 and released in Abuja, represents an increase from the 88,592 customers metered in the preceding month.
Consequently, the nationwide metering rate rose to 57.27 per cent by the end of December, up from 56.54 per cent in November. NERC identified Ikeja, Eko, and Abuja DisCos as the top performers, each maintaining metering rates exceeding 76 per cent.
The factsheet provides a snapshot of the sector’s progress amid a long-standing challenge of bridging the metering gap. As of December 2025, a total of 6,966,584 customers had been metered out of an estimated 12,163,412 active electricity customers nationwide. This disparity underscores the significant number of customers still on estimated billing, a practice that complicates revenue assurance for utilities and leads to consumer disputes.
Accurate metering is fundamental for sustainable revenue collection, financial viability of the power sector, and ensuring transparent billing for consumers. The incremental monthly increases indicate ongoing deployment efforts, though the pace remains insufficient to close the wide gap rapidly.
The data highlights a persistent unevenness in performance among the regional DisCos, with a few consistently outpacing their peers. NERC’s regular publication of these metrics serves as a key accountability and planning tool for regulators, operators, and stakeholders tracking the sector’s development. Continued progress will depend on sustained investment, effective regulatory oversight, and strategies to address barriers to widespread meter installations across all distribution networks.
