Nigeria’s neighbouring countries, Togo, Niger, and Benin, owe a combined $19.97 million for electricity supplied between January and June 2025, according to data from the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC).
NERC’s report shows that the three international customers, Société Béninoise d’Énergie Électrique (SBEE) of Benin, Compagnie Energie Electrique du Togo (CEET), and Société Nigérienne d’Électricité (NIGELEC) of Niger, paid only $14.81 million out of the $34.78 million invoiced by the Nigerian market operators during the first and second quarters of 2025.
Country Breakdown
- Paras-SBEE made no payment for its combined invoices of $5.19 million for the two quarters.
- Paras-CEET paid $0.63 million out of $1.92 million billed in Q1 but made no payment for its $2.02 million Q2 invoice.
- Transcorp-SBEE (Ughelli) paid $1.82 million and $5.47 million for Q1 and Q2 invoices of $4.97 million and $5.47 million, respectively.
- Transcorp-SBEE (Afam) paid $0.30 million and $0.95 million for invoices of $1.73 million and $1.28 million.
- Mainstream-NIGELEC paid $3.03 million and $2.69 million out of $3.04 million and $3.71 million billed.
- Odukpani-CEET made no payment for its invoices of $3.16 million and $2.29 million for the two quarters.
Ajaokuta Steel Still Owing
NERC also revealed that Ajaokuta Steel Company Ltd and its host community failed to pay any part of the ₦1.38 billion and ₦1.27 billion invoices issued in Q1 and Q2, respectively, describing the non-payment as a “longstanding issue” that requires urgent government intervention.
Nigerians Owe ₦368bn in Unpaid Bills
Within the same period, Nigerian consumers owed electricity distribution companies (DisCos) a total of ₦368.26 billion. DisCos billed customers ₦1.48 trillion but collected only ₦1.11 trillion, according to the report.
NERC noted that the most effective ways to improve billing and revenue recovery include accurate customer enumeration and the installation of meters.
As of June 2025, over 107,000 Band A customers had been metered through the Meter Acquisition Fund (MAF) initiative. The regulator urged DisCos to also utilise other metering frameworks such as the Meter Asset Provider (MAP) and the National Mass Metering Programme (NMMP) to curb losses and improve liquidity in the electricity market.
“Improved metering and accurate billing will enhance energy accountability and ensure steady cash flow across the Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry (NESI),” NERC stated.
