The number of active electricity customers in Nigeria rose to 11.96 million in August 2025, up from 11.89 million in July, according to the latest data released by the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC).
In its July-August 2025 Metering Factsheet, published on its official social media handles, NERC noted that the figures cover all 11 electricity distribution companies (DisCos) nationwide.
Of the total active customers, 6.58 million were metered, translating to a 55.01 per cent metering rate, slightly higher than 54.71 per cent in July. NERC said 70,888 customers were newly metered in August, compared to 76,783 in July, a reflection of ongoing metering efforts across the Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry (NESI).
The regulator attributed the improvement to sustained reforms and DisCo investments in customer management aimed at boosting billing transparency and public confidence.
Among the top-performing DisCos, Ikeja Electric led with a metering rate of 84.83 per cent, followed by Eko DisCo (84.25 ) and Abuja DisCo (73.92%).
Earlier in April, NERC fined eight DisCos, including Abuja, Ikeja, Eko, Enugu, Jos, Kaduna, Kano, and Yola, a combined ₦628 million for violating monthly energy caps on estimated billing for unmetered customers. The Commission also ordered the affected DisCos to issue credit adjustments to impacted consumers.
NERC’s Q2 2025 report showed that DisCos installed 225,631 meters, a 20.55% increase from the 187,161 meters deployed in Q1. Of these, 147,823 meters (65.52%) were installed under the Meter Asset Provider (MAP) scheme, 65,315 under the Meter Acquisition Fund (MAF), 12,259 through Vendor Financing, and 234 under DisCo Financing.
NERC said these ongoing initiatives demonstrate steady progress toward closing Nigeria’s metering gap and improving service delivery in the power sector.
