- Over 5.3 million Nigerians remain unmetered despite the ₦700 billion metering initiative.
- Slow quarterly meter deployment continues to widen Nigeria’s electricity metering gap.
Nigeria’s electricity metering gap remains a pressing concern despite major government spending. More than 5.3 million electricity consumers remain unmetered across the nation. This situation persists despite the ₦700 billion Presidential Metering Initiative launched to close the gap. Consequently, concerns persist regarding billing transparency and consumer protection.
Reports confirm that 5,368,751 customers across the country still lack electricity meters. The Federal Government secured ₦700 billion from the Federation Account to fund the initiative. This programme aims to improve accountability in electricity billing. Moreover, it seeks to reduce estimated billing practices across distribution networks.
The funding supports the rollout of about 1.1 million meters by December 2025. Additionally, authorities plan to deploy two million meters annually over a five-year period. However, recent data suggests progress remains slower than expected.
According to the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC), 6,661,564 customers were metered by September 2025. The figure represents 55.37% of registered electricity users nationwide. Meanwhile, Nigeria recorded 12,030,315 active customers within the electricity supply industry.
During the third quarter of 2025, operators installed 228,614 meters of fibre optic cable. This figure reflects a marginal increase from the previous quarter. In comparison, 226,959 meters were installed in the second quarter. Therefore, quarterly growth stood at just 0.73%.
Most installations occurred under the Meter Asset Provider framework. Specifically, 176,302 meters came through this scheme. Meanwhile, vendor-financed arrangements delivered 44,104 meters. Furthermore, the Distribution Sector Recovery Programme accounted for 7,902 installations.
Smaller contributions also emerged from other frameworks. The Meter Acquisition Fund delivered 175 units. Likewise, distribution companies installed 131 meters using internal financing. Despite these efforts, the Nigerian electricity metering gap remains substantial.
To protect unmetered consumers, NERC continues to enforce monthly energy caps. These caps limit the amount of electricity that distribution companies can bill unmetered customers. They rely on feeder-level energy data and metered consumption patterns. As a result, regulators aim to curb exploitation through the use of estimated billing.
Consumer dissatisfaction, however, persists across the sector. During the quarter, customers filed 833 complaints with the NERC Consumer Complaints Unit. Distribution companies resolved only 519 cases. This outcome reflects a resolution rate of 62.3%.
Although complaints declined by 26.06 per cent from the previous quarter, challenges remain. Over 168,000 complaints have still been received by distribution company units nationwide. Therefore, service quality and metering access remain key public concerns.
Experts argue that closing the metering gap requires faster deployment and stricter oversight. Improved coordination between regulators and operators could accelerate progress. Without stronger implementation, estimated billing disputes are likely to persist.