Nigeria’s electricity regulator, the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC), has revealed that three neighboring countries, Togo, Niger, and Benin, owe Nigeria $17.8 million in unpaid electricity bills. This amount is equivalent to over N25 billion at current exchange rates. The debt arises from power supplied under bilateral electricity agreements between Nigeria and the three countries.
According to NERC’s Third Quarter 2025 report, the international customers were billed $18.69 million for electricity supplied during the quarter, but only $7.125 million was paid, leaving an unpaid balance of $11.56 million. The report also disclosed that the same international customers had outstanding legacy debts of $14.7 million from previous quarters, with $7.84 million settled, leaving a residual balance of $6.23 million.
The total outstanding debt of $17.8 million is attributed to the international electricity customers, including Compagnie Énergie Électrique du Togo, Société Béninoise d’Énergie Électrique of Benin Republic, and Société Nigérienne d’Électricité of Niger Republic. These utilities collectively paid only 38.09 percent of their billed amount, resulting in a significant shortfall.
In contrast, domestic bilateral customers in Nigeria demonstrated a stronger payment performance, with a remittance rate of 87.61 percent. The commission noted that some bilateral customers, both international and domestic, made additional payments to offset outstanding invoices from earlier quarters.
NERC reported that Nigeria’s 11 electricity distribution companies remitted a total of N381.29 billion to the Nigerian Bulk Electricity Trading Plc and the Market Operator in the third quarter of 2025. This represents an overall remittance performance of 95.21 percent.
The regulator’s report is based on reconciled market settlement data submitted as of December 18, 2025, as part of its statutory evaluation of the commercial health and performance of the electricity market. The figures highlight the need for improved payment compliance among international customers to ensure the sustainability of Nigeria’s electricity supply industry.
