A new Standarddailypress review of the second-quarter report released by the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) has revealed that 5.4 million electricity consumers across Nigeria remain unmetered.
According to the report, as of June 2025, only 6.4 million customers had been metered out of the 11.8 million connected to electricity distribution companies (DisCos). This means nearly half of Nigeria’s electricity consumers are still billed through the controversial estimated billing system.
The situation has sparked widespread frustration among Nigerians, many of whom complain about being forced to pay for electricity they did not use. Residents across Abuja and other states shared their stories with SaharaReporters, lamenting what they described as “daylight extortion” by DisCos.
Chukwudi, a resident of Zuba, Abuja, said despite not having power for several days, the Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC) still sent him what he called “an outrageous bill.” Residents of Dei-Dei and Madalla also echoed similar frustrations, noting that poor supply has not stopped DisCos from issuing heavy charges.
Emeka, a resident of Awka, Anambra State, accused the Enugu Electricity Distribution Company (EEDC) of worsening their hardship through estimated billing. He said, “They gave my compound N675,000 as a bill. After paying N200,000, they still disconnected our power for 15 days, claiming we owed more.”
He added that despite paying for a three-phase meter weeks ago, EEDC had yet to install it, insisting on additional payments. This, he said, showed how DisCos deliberately delay metering to sustain inflated billing.
In February 2024, the federal government announced that it would deduct ₦10.5 billion from the revenue of DisCos for failing to comply with the capping of estimated bills for unmetered customers. However, the challenge remains largely unresolved.
In May 2024, the World Bank approved a $500 million loan to support reforms in Nigeria’s power sector, including the mass procurement of customer meters and the establishment of a national data management system. But despite repeated promises and funding interventions, millions of Nigerians remain trapped in darkness — and debt — under an electricity system many now describe as exploitative and broken.
