By Nchetachi Chukwuajah
The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) says the total number of active customers across all eleven Distribution Companies (DisCos) in the country increased from 11.89 million in July to 11.96 million in August 2025.
The NERC disclosed this in its latest Metering Factsheet for July and August 2025, released via its official X (formerly Twitter) handle on Monday, November 10.
According to the factsheet, 6.58 million customers out of 11.96 million were metered within the period, resulting in a 55.01 per cent metering rate.
It said, “According to the latest NERC Metering Factsheet, the total number of active customers across all Distribution Companies (DisCos) increased from 11.89 million in July to 11.96 million in August 2025.
“Out of these, 6.58 million customers were metered, resulting in a metering rate of 55.01 per cent, up slightly from 54.71 per cent in July. A total of 70,888 customers were newly metered in August compared to 76,783 in July, reflecting ongoing metering efforts across the Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry.”
The commission added that the improved metering figures highlight gradual progress in closing Nigeria’s metering gap and improving transparency and billing accuracy for electricity consumers.
It further noted that Eko, Ikeja, and Abuja DisCos were among the top performers in metering coverage nationwide.
According to the factsheet, Eko DisCo recorded a metering rate of 84.25 per cent, Ikeja DisCo hit 84.83 per cent, while Abuja DisCo stood at 73.92 per cent.
It added that the top performing DisCos continue to set performance benchmarks for other DisCos still struggling to achieve significant coverage within their franchise areas.
Recall that the NERC recently approved N28 billion under Tranche B of the Meter Asset Financing (MAF) Scheme to enable DisCos procure and install meters for unmetered Band A and Band B customers.
The NERC said the funds are aimed at closing the metering gap among premium customers, ensuring accurate billing and reducing estimated billing disputes, which are among the top challenges bedeviling electricity distribution.
In its second quarter (Q2) 2025 report, NERC stated that DisCos had installed a total of 225,631 meters in the quarter, representing a 20.55 per cent increase compared to the 187,161 meters installed in the first quarter of the year.
The NERC’s report noted that of the total meters installed, 147,823 units (representing 65.52 per cent) were deployed under the Meter Asset Provider (MAP) framework, 65,315 meters under the Meter Acquisition Fund (MAF) scheme, 12,259 meters through the Vendor Financed framework, and 234 meters were installed under the DisCo Financed scheme.
However, the NERC noted that as of June 2025, only 6,422,933 out of the 11,821,194 active registered customers in the Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry had been metered.
