Electricity distribution companies (DisCos) installed a total of 241,590 prepaid meters across Nigeria in the first two months of 2026, even as millions of consumers continue to face estimated billing challenges.
According to data from the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) metering fact sheet for January and February 2026, 119,792 customers were metered in January, while 121,798 additional customers received meters in February. This brought the total number of metered customers to 7,208,174 by February, up from 7,086,376 in January.
Despite the increase in installations, Nigeria’s metering rate rose only slightly—from 57.93 per cent in January to 58.57 per cent in February—highlighting the persistent gap in the electricity supply chain. The total number of active electricity customers also increased during the period, rising from 12,232,130 to 12,307,314.
An analysis of the figures shows that over five million electricity consumers remain without meters, leaving them exposed to estimated billing, a long-standing source of public frustration and complaints across the country.
Among distribution companies, Eko DisCo recorded the highest metering rate at 87.62 per cent in February, followed closely by Ikeja Electric at 87.16 per cent. Abuja DisCo also performed relatively well with a rate of 79.37 per cent, while Port Harcourt DisCo remained above the national average at 66.36 per cent.
However, performance across other DisCos remained mixed. Benin DisCo recorded the highest number of new meter installations within the period, deploying 51,570 meters in two months. Ibadan DisCo, despite having the largest customer base in the country, recorded a metering rate of 52.23 per cent, with nearly half of its 2.48 million customers still unmetered.
Enugu DisCo saw only marginal improvement, with its metering rate rising slightly to 51.83 per cent, alongside a sharp drop in new installations in February. Northern DisCos continued to lag behind, with Jos, Kaduna, Kano and Yola all recording metering rates below 40 per cent.
Kano DisCo, in particular, recorded one of the lowest deployment figures, installing only 310 meters across two months despite its large customer base.
Stakeholders have attributed the slow pace of metering to challenges such as financing constraints, foreign exchange pressures, supply chain disruptions and the high cost of meter procurement.
While the Federal Government and NERC have introduced various initiatives to accelerate metering and reduce estimated billing, the latest figures indicate that Nigeria still has a significant metering deficit, with about four in every ten electricity customers yet to be metered.
