Despite repeated assurances and several intervention schemes introduced in the last 12 years of the power sector privatisation, Nigeria’s electricity metering gap remains stubbornly wide, with over 5.4 million active customers still without metering devices.
Data from the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) revealed that more than 46 per cent of electricity consumers in the country remain unmetered, underscoring the persistent challenges in eliminating estimated billing and ensuring fair and accurate electricity charges.
According to the latest factsheet released by NERC for April 2025, only 6,274,936 out of Nigeria’s 11,700,422 active electricity customers are currently metered, translating to a national metering rate of 53.63 percent.
While some Distribution Companies (Discos) have made modest gains, the overall progress falls short of expectations given the scale of investments, both public and private, that have gone into metering projects over the years.
In the whole of April, a total of 77,634 new meters were installed, a figure consider insignificant compared to the millions of customers still subjected to the controversial estimated billing system.
The persistent metering gap not only affects consumer trust but continues to fuel tensions between electricity providers and the general public.
