DisCos :Nigeria’s electricity distribution companies installed a total of 241,590 meters across the country between January and February 2026, even as millions of consumers continue to rely on estimated billing amid a persistent metering gap in the power sector.
Data released by the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) shows that 119,792 customers were metered in January, while 121,798 received meters in February, bringing the combined total to 241,590 installations over the two-month period.
Despite the rollout, Nigeria’s metering rate rose only marginally from 57.93 per cent in January to 58.57 per cent in February, underscoring the slow pace of progress in closing the country’s electricity access gap.
NERC data also shows that the total number of metered customers increased from about 7.1 million to 7.2 million within the period, while active electricity customers rose from roughly 12.23 million to 12.31 million.
The figures leave an estimated 5.1 million electricity consumers still without meters, exposing them to estimated billing practices that have long triggered disputes between consumers and distribution companies.
On performance across distribution companies, Eko Electricity Distribution Company remained the top performer with a metering rate of about 87.62 per cent in February, closely followed by Ikeja Electric at 87.16 per cent.
Abuja DisCo also recorded an improvement, rising to 79.37 per cent, while Port Harcourt DisCo increased to 66.36 per cent over the review period.
At the lower end of the performance table, Jos, Kaduna, Kano, and Yola DisCos remained below the national average, with metering rates still in the mid-30 percent range in several cases.
Kano DisCo recorded one of the weakest deployment rates, installing just 161 meters in January and 149 in February despite its large customer base, while Yola DisCo remained the lowest performer at about 31.86 percent metering coverage.
Benin DisCo emerged as one of the most active in new installations, accounting for over 25,000 meters in February alone and more than 51,000 across the two-month period.
Ibadan DisCo, which serves the largest customer base in the country, recorded over 2.48 million active customers, with nearly half still unmetered.
Stakeholders continue to blame the slow rollout on financing constraints, foreign exchange pressures, supply chain bottlenecks, and the high cost of meter procurement, even as the regulator pushes DisCos to accelerate installations.
The latest figures highlight Nigeria’s continuing struggle with estimated billing, which remains one of the most contentious issues in the electricity sector despite ongoing metering interventions.
