Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) has disclosed that Electricity Distribution Companies (DisCos) collected a total revenue of N553.63 billion in the first quarter of 2025.
This amount was realized from a total billing of N744.27 billion issued to customers during the period, representing a collection efficiency of 74.39%.
The collection efficiency dropped by 3.05 percentage points compared to the fourth quarter of 2024, which had a collection efficiency of 77.44%. Four DisCos recorded collection efficiencies of over 80%, with Eko DisCo leading at 84.79%. Conversely, Jos DisCo recorded the lowest collection efficiency at 47.19%.
A comparison of DisCos’ performance shows that Kano, Abuja, and Enugu DisCos recorded improvements in collection efficiency between Q4 2024 and Q1 2025.
However, the remaining eight DisCos recorded declines in collection efficiency, with Port Harcourt, Kaduna, and Eko DisCos having the most significant declines.
The report attributed the decline in billing and collection efficiencies to the increased energy offtake of 10.06% during the quarter.
It noted that there’s an inverse relationship between DisCos’ energy offtake and their billing/collection efficiencies, meaning that when DisCos take more energy, they often allocate it to areas with historically lower billing and collection efficiencies.
To improve energy accounting and revenue recovery, NERC emphasizes the importance of accurate customer enumeration and installation of end-use customer meters.
The commission issued an order for the operationalization of Tranche A of the Meter Acquisition Fund (MAF) in Q2 2024, directing DisCos to use the funds to procure and install meters for unmetered Band A customers. As of March 2025, over 41,000 Band A customers have been metered through the MAF scheme.
NERC’s metering initiatives aim to reduce commercial and collection losses, thereby improving the flow of funds to upstream market participants in the Nigeria Electricity Supply Industry (NESI).
The commission encouraged DisCos to utilize various metering frameworks, including the Meter Asset Programme (MAP) and the National Mass Metering Programme (NMMP), to enhance end-user customer metering.
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