Electricity distribution companies (DisCos) installed 677,942 meters across Nigeria in 2025, raising the total number of metered customers to 6,966,584, according to new data from the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC).
The figure represents a 10.78 per cent increase from the 6,288,642 customers metered as of December 2024. As a result, the national metering rate improved significantly from 46.57 per cent in 2024 to 57.27 per cent by December 2025.
The data also showed that 109,556 customers were newly metered in December alone, up from 88,592 in November, indicating a stronger push by DisCos to expand metering before the end of the year.
Nigeria’s electricity sector recorded 12,163,412 active customers in December 2025, defined as those billed or who purchased electricity at least once within a 12-month period. Of this number, about 5.19 million customers remain on estimated billing.
Among the distribution companies, Ikeja, Eko, and Abuja DisCos recorded the highest metering coverage. Ikeja DisCo led with an 86.4 per cent metering rate, followed by Eko DisCo at 85.87 per cent and Abuja DisCo at 77.81 per cent.
However, several operators lagged behind the national average. Jos, Kaduna, Kano, and Yola DisCos recorded metering coverage below 40 per cent.
Despite the progress, experts say Nigeria still faces a significant metering deficit. Consumer groups have repeatedly stressed that closing the gap is essential to ending estimated billing, improving transparency, and strengthening revenue collection in the power sector.
Analysts estimate that at the current installation pace of roughly 100,000 meters per month, it could take several years to eliminate the country’s metering deficit unless deployment is significantly accelerated.
