It seems many Nigerians are still waiting for fairness when it comes to their electricity bills. Between May and June 2026, electricity distribution companies (DisCos) managed to install meters for about 308,106 customers across the country. That sounds like a lot, but when you look at the big picture, it barely makes a dent. The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) confirmed that out of a total of 12.59 million active electricity customers in June, a staggering 7.74 million have meters. This leaves roughly 4.85 million Nigerians who are still in the dark, literally and figuratively, when it comes to accurate electricity billing.
NERC, in its latest "Metering Status of Distribution Companies Factsheet," calls this "continued progress." The number of active customers did tick up by 0.55 percent from May to June, so there's some movement. But the main goal here is to close this metering gap and stop the arbitrary estimated billing that has plagued Nigerians for years. It’s a system that many suspect is rigged against the consumer, and until everyone has a meter, that suspicion won't go away.
Some DisCos are doing better than others. Eko Disco leads the pack with an impressive 88.70 per cent metering rate. Hot on its heels is Ikeja Electric, clocking in at 87.91 per cent. Abuja Disco is also holding its own with an 81.38 per cent metering rate. These are the ones doing the heavy lifting, showing it can be done.
The Federal Government has been talking about this for a while. They even have a plan under Phase 1 of the $500 million World Bank-financed Distribution Sector Recovery Programme (DISREP). There's also the Presidential Metering Initiative (PMI), coordinated by the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE). The big ambition is to finally close this metering gap and ditch the unfair estimated bills for good.
Speaking on the progress, Ayodeji Gbeleyi, the Director-General of the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE), shared some numbers. He said that out of 1,033,000 meters delivered so far under the initiative, 668,000 have actually been deployed and installed. This means about 60 per cent of the delivered meters are now on customers' premises. It’s a start, but again, the 4.85 million still unmetered loom large.
Minister of Power, Mr Joseph Tegbe, has assured Nigerians that the government is working hard. He said, “We are working concertedly and in a very collaborative manner to ensure that we give value, either in electricity or in telecoms—whichever area—to make sure that Nigerians benefit from this government’”. We can only hope that "value" includes fair electricity billing for everyone, not just a lucky few.
The push for meters is a long-running saga. For years, Nigerians have complained about paying for electricity they didn't consume, or paying inflated bills based on guesswork. The promise of meters was supposed to bring an end to this, ensuring that customers only pay for what they actually use. Yet, as this latest NERC report shows, that promise is still a distant reality for millions.