DisCos abandon metering – NERC

The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) has revealed in its 3rd Quarter 2025 report that the electricity distribution companies funded only 90,172 meters nationwide between 2019 and the third quarter of 2025.

This indicates that the DisCos appear to have abandoned their important duty of metering all eligible customers.

Stakeholders have argued that it is the responsibility of the DisCos to meter their customers at no cost to them.

However, this has remained a major challenge, as customers are made to pay for utility bills not consumed with promises that they would be refunded.

Many customers have argued they were not refunded through energy credit, while some decried their inability to secure meters after making payments.

Data from the NERC report, PUNCH gathered, showed that meters installed directly under the DisCo-Financed Framework accounted for only a marginal share of total installations over the six-year period, despite repeated regulatory directives requiring operators to accelerate customer metering.

The commission disclosed that 57,007 meters were installed between 2019 and 2023 under the framework, while 31,622 meters were added in 2024.

The pace slowed sharply in 2025, with DisCos funding just 1,178 meters in the first quarter, 234 in the second quarter, and 131 in the third quarter.