DisCos Install 241,590 as National Metering Rate Remains Below 60%
Electricity distribution companies (DisCos) installed 241,590 meters across Nigeria in the first two months of 2026, according to new data released by the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC).
The installations come amid persistent consumer complaints over estimated billing and efforts to close the country’s metering gap.
The NERC fact sheet showed that 119,792 customers were metered in January, while another 121,798 received meters in February. This raised the total number of metered customers from 7,086,376 in January to 7,208,174 in February.
Despite the progress, the national metering rate rose only marginally from 57.93 per cent in January to 58.57 per cent in February, leaving more than five million electricity customers unmetered and exposed to estimated billing practices.
Eko Electricity Distribution Company maintained the highest metering rate at 87.62 per cent in February, followed by Ikeja Electric at 87.16 per cent and Abuja DisCo at 79.37 per cent. Port Harcourt DisCo also remained above the national average, improving to 66.36 per cent.
Benin DisCo emerged as the utility with the highest number of new installations, deploying 51,570 meters in January and February combined. Ibadan DisCo, with Nigeria’s largest customer base of 2.48 million, recorded a metering rate of 52.23 per cent, meaning nearly half of its customers remain unmetered.
Northern DisCos continued to lag behind. Jos DisCo improved slightly to 34.04 per cent, Kaduna to 35.59 per cent, and Kano to 35.37 per cent, while Yola remained the weakest performer at 31.86 per cent.
Stakeholders have linked the slow pace of metering to financing constraints, foreign exchange pressures, supply chain challenges, and high procurement costs. Despite government interventions, NERC data indicates that about four in ten electricity customers nationwide are still without meters.
