Nigeria is gradually making progress in tackling its long-standing electricity metering challenge, as power distribution companies continue to install more meters across the country. Over the past year, the 11 electricity distribution companies added a total of 677,942 new meters, bringing the country closer to its national metering target.
According to data released by the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission, the number of electricity customers with meters rose to 6,966,584 by December 2025. This marks an increase from the 6,288,642 metered customers recorded in December 2024, representing a year-on-year growth of 677,942 meters or about 10.78 per cent.
The increase has also pushed Nigeria’s national metering rate to 57.27 per cent, a notable improvement compared to the 46.57 per cent recorded at the end of 2024. The figures indicate that more customers are gradually being moved away from estimated billing as distribution companies expand meter installations.
The pace of installations picked up toward the end of the year. In December 2025 alone, distribution companies installed 109,556 meters, higher than the 88,592 meters deployed in November. This surge helped raise the national metering rate from 56.54 per cent in November to 57.27 per cent in December.
The data also shows that Nigeria had a total of 12,163,412 active electricity customers as of December 2025. Active customers refer to those who were billed for electricity or purchased electricity at least once within the previous 12 months. Out of this number, 6,966,584 customers have meters, leaving about 5.19 million still relying on estimated billing.
Despite the improvement in meter deployment, the number of active electricity customers in the country declined during the year. The sector recorded 13,503,342 active customers at the end of December 2024, but the figure dropped to 12,163,412 by December 2025. This represents a decline of 1,339,930 customers, or roughly 9.92 per cent.
Even with the recent gains, the figures highlight that a significant portion of electricity consumers remain unmetered. More than four out of every ten customers in the country still do not have meters, reflecting the scale of Nigeria’s persistent metering deficit.
A closer look at the monthly figures shows that as of November 2025, there were 6,857,028 metered customers out of 12,128,611 active users nationwide. Within that month, distribution companies installed 88,592 meters. By December, the number of metered customers had risen to 6,966,584, while the active customer base increased slightly to 12,163,412.
Metering growth during the period outpaced the expansion of the customer base. While the number of active users increased by just 34,801 between November and December, over 109,000 customers were newly metered during the same period. This helped improve the national metering rate by 0.73 percentage points within one month.
Some distribution companies recorded stronger performance than others. Ikeja Electricity Distribution Company posted one of the highest metering levels in the country, with 1,130,213 of its 1,308,042 active customers metered, representing 86.40 per cent coverage. The company also installed 7,748 meters in December.
Eko Distribution Company also maintained a high coverage level, with 550,764 metered customers out of 641,411 active users, translating to a metering rate of 85.87 per cent. In Abuja, the Abuja Electricity Distribution Company recorded 1,044,014 metered customers out of 1,341,807 active users, achieving a metering rate of 77.81 per cent after installing 19,953 meters during the month.
Other distribution companies showed mixed progress. Port Harcourt DisCo recorded 678,446 metered customers out of 1,057,858 active users, giving it a metering rate of 64.13 per cent after installing 17,471 meters. Benin DisCo metered 564,500 of its 1,056,069 customers, representing a coverage of 53.45 per cent, with 17,928 new meters installed in December.
Ibadan DisCo recorded 1,267,503 metered customers out of 2,444,715 active users and added 11,298 meters during the month. Enugu DisCo had 847,109 metered customers out of 1,641,569 users but installed only 1,538 new meters in December.
Some distribution companies still have relatively low metering coverage. Jos DisCo recorded 257,258 metered customers out of 818,628 active users, representing 31.43 per cent coverage, despite installing 13,626 meters during the month. Kaduna DisCo had a metering rate of 34.42 per cent with 187,050 metered customers from a base of 543,497.
Kano DisCo also recorded a modest performance with 282,319 metered customers out of 798,718 users, representing 35.35 per cent coverage. Yola DisCo remained among the lowest performers, with 157,408 metered customers out of 511,098 active users, translating to a metering rate of 30.80 per cent, although it installed 4,763 meters during December.
Overall, the sector recorded 12,163,412 active customers by the end of 2025, with 6,966,584 of them metered. The installation of more than 109,000 meters in December alone highlights ongoing efforts to address the country’s metering gap, but millions of electricity consumers across Nigeria are still waiting to be connected to meters.
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