Power: Metering hits 63%, 4.7m left out

Despite Nigeria's electricity distribution companies installing 141,746 meters in August 2026, around 4.7 million customers still lacked meters, according to the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission. The regulator's factsheet revealed that active electricity customers rose to 12.75 million in August from 12.67 million in July, while metered customers grew from 7.90 million to 8.05 million in the same period.

This led to a national metering rate of 63.10 percent in August, up from 62.37 percent in July. However, the increase also indicated that more than one-third of active customers were still un-metered, leaving many households and businesses dependent on alternative billing methods.

Four distribution companies - Eko, Ikeja, Abuja, and Port Harcourt - recorded metering rates above 70 percent, while four others - Kano, Kaduna, Yola, and Jos - remained below the 50 percent threshold, classified by NERC as having poor metering performance. Lagos customers faced frequent outages due to failed Band A feeders. NERC emphasized that distribution companies must repair or replace faulty meters within 48 hours of customer reports.