Eko Electricity Distribution Company (Eko Disco), Ikeja Electric and Abuja Electricity Distribution Company have emerged as the top performers in Nigeria’s ongoing electricity metering programme, according to fresh data from the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC).
The report showed that electricity distribution companies across the country installed a total of 241,590 meters between January and February 2026, as efforts to reduce estimated billing and improve transparency continued.
NERC’s latest factsheet indicated that the industry’s overall metering rate rose slightly from 57.93 per cent in January to 58.57 per cent in February, reflecting gradual but uneven progress across the sector.
It also revealed that the number of active electricity customers increased from 12.23 million in January to 12.31 million in February, while metered customers rose from 7.09 million to 7.21 million over the same period.
Specifically, 119,792 customers were newly metered in January, followed by 121,798 in February, bringing the combined total to 241,590 meters installed within the two-month period.
Among distribution companies, Eko Disco maintained the highest performance, recording a metering rate of 87.15 per cent in January, which improved further to 87.62 per cent in February.
Its metered customer base also grew from 563,734 to 577,160 within the period.
Ikeja Electric followed closely, posting a metering rate of 86.69 per cent in January and 87.16 per cent in February. The company also increased its metered customers from 1.14 million to 1.16 million.
Abuja Electricity Distribution Company ranked third, with its metering coverage rising from 78.54 per cent to 79.37 per cent. The utility added over 34,000 new metered customers, pushing its total to about 1.08 million.
Port Harcourt Disco also recorded improvement, with its metering penetration increasing from 65.47 per cent to 66.36 per cent during the period under review.
However, several other Discos continued to lag behind despite regulatory efforts to close the metering gap.
Yola Disco recorded the lowest coverage, with just 30.85 per cent in January and 31.86 per cent in February.
It had 162,959 metered customers out of more than 511,000 active users by the end of the period.
Jos Disco also remained among the weakest performers, rising marginally from 32.94 per cent to 34.04 per cent.
Kaduna Disco improved slightly from 34.82 per cent to 35.59 per cent, while Kano Disco showed almost no movement, inching from 35.36 per cent to 35.37 per cent.
Ibadan Disco, despite having the largest customer base nationwide, recorded a modest metering rate of just above 52 per cent, with its active customers increasing from 2.46 million to 2.48 million.
Benin Disco improved from 55.16 per cent to 56.75 per cent, while Enugu Disco remained almost flat at around 51.8 per cent.
The report underscored persistent inequality in metering coverage across Nigeria’s electricity sector, with some operators nearing high penetration levels while others continue to rely heavily on estimated billing.
Industry observers said widespread metering is key to improving revenue collection, reducing losses, and addressing long-standing consumer complaints over arbitrary electricity charges.
Despite multiple government interventions, including the National Mass Metering Programme (NMMP) and Meter Asset Provider (MAP) schemes, millions of Nigerian electricity users remain without meters more than a decade after the power sector was privatised.
NERC data further suggested that while progress is ongoing, the pace remains slow, with over five million customers still unmetered as of February 2026 and only modest year-on-year gains in overall coverage.
