The Federal Government is gradually closing in on the set national metering target of 6,966,584 meters, as a total of 677,942 new meters were added to installations by the 11 electricity distribution companies within one year.

The development has increased the national metering rate to 57.27 per cent.

Data released by the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC), the development showed that 109,556 customers were newly metered in December alone, up from 88,592 recorded in November.

The data factsheet disclosed that the number of metered customers in Nigeria’s power sector moved closer to the metering target for the first time, rising to 6,966,584 as of December 2025.

This represents an increase of 677,942 meters within the 12 months of 2025, compared to 6,288,642 metered customers recorded in December 2024 – a 10.78 per cent boost in year-on-year growth in metered customers.

The national metering rate also improved significantly from 46.57 per cent in December 2024 to 57.27 per cent in December 2025, an increase of 10.7 percentage points.

Meter installations equally rose from 572,055 end-use customer meters deployed in 2024 to 677,942 in 2025, indicating an additional 105,887 meters installed year-on-year, an 18.51 per cent increase in annual installations.

As of December 2025, the total number of active electricity customers, defined as those billed or who vended electricity at least once within 12 months, stood at 12,163,412. Of this figure, 6,966,584 have been metered, leaving about 5.19 million customers still on estimated billing.

Despite the gains in the number of meters distributed so far, the number of active customers in the Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry dropped from 13,503,342 as of December 31, 2024, to 12,163,412 in December 2025, a decline of 1,339,930 customers, representing a 9.92 per cent reduction.

However, more than four out of every 10 electricity customers remain unmetered, underscoring the scale of Nigeria’s longstanding metering deficit.

A month-on-month analysis of the sector’s performance showed that as of November 2025, the total number of metered customers stood at 6,857,028, representing a national metering rate of 56.54 per cent out of 12,128,611 active customers. Within that month alone, distribution companies installed 88,592 new meters.

Metered customers had increased to 6,966,584 by December 2025, pushing the national metering rate to 57.27 per cent.

Total active customer base also rose slightly to 12,163,412. Notably, meter installations accelerated during the month, with 109,556 customers newly metered, 20,964 more than the figure recorded in November.

NERC’s data further reveal that while the number of active customers rose by 34,801 within one month, metering growth outpaced customer expansion, resulting in a 0.73 percentage-point improvement in the national metering rate.

Ikeja, Eko, and Abuja DisCos emerged as leading distribution companies in meter installations in the month under review.

In Abuja DisCo’s franchise area, active customers stood at 1,341,807, out of which 1,044,014 have been metered, translating to a 77.81 per cent metering rate. The company added 19,953 new meters during the month, reinforcing its position among the top performers.

Eko DisCo maintained one of the highest coverage levels nationwide, recording 550,764 metered customers out of 641,411 active users, representing an 85.87 per cent metering rate.

Ikeja DisCo posted the strongest performance overall, with 1,130,213 of its 1,308,042 active customers metered, resulting in an 86.40 per cent coverage. Ikeja installed 7,748 new meters in December.

On its part, Port Harcourt DisCo recorded 678,446 metered customers out of 1,057,858 active users, representing a 64.13 per cent metering rate, with 17,471 new meters installed.

Benin DisCo achieved a 53.45 per cent metering rate after metering 564,500 of its 1,056,069 customers, deploying 17,928 meters within the month.

Ibadan metered 1,267,503 of its 2,444,715 active customers, with 11,298 new installations, while Enugu recorded 847,109 metered customers out of 1,641,569 active users, but added only 1,538 new meters in December.

Jos DisCo recorded 257,258 metered customers out of 818,628 active users, representing a 31.43 per cent metering rate, despite installing 13,626 meters during the month.

Kaduna DisCo posted a 34.42 per cent coverage with 187,050 metered customers from a base of 543,497, while Kano DisCo recorded 35.35 per cent, having metered 282,319 of its 798,718 customers.

Yola DisCo remained among the lowest performers, with 157,408 metered customers out of 511,098 active users, translating to a 30.80 per cent metering rate, even as it deployed 4,763 meters in December.

Overall, the sector recorded 12,163,412 active customers in December 2025, of which 6,966,584 were metered, reflecting a national metering rate of 57.27 per cent.

A total of 109,556 customers were newly metered within the month, underscoring ongoing efforts to narrow the country’s persistent metering gap.

Despite the progress recorded in 2025, the numbers show that approximately 5.19 million active customers were still unmetered as of December. (Channels)

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