Electricity Distribution Companies (DisCos) in Nigeria have installed just 90,172 meters nationwide between 2019 and the third quarter of 2025 under the DisCo-Financed Framework, highlighting their limited contribution to closing the country’s massive metering deficit.
Okay News reports that this figure, disclosed in the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission’s (NERC) Third Quarter 2025 report, underscores ongoing concerns that DisCos have largely abandoned their statutory duty to meter eligible customers at no cost.
Stakeholders have long argued that metering remains the core responsibility of DisCos, yet many customers have been compelled to pay for meters with promises of refunds through energy credits, which have often failed to materialise.
NERC data shows that DisCo-funded installations totalled 57,007 meters from 2019 to 2023, with 31,622 added in 2024. The pace slowed dramatically in 2025, with only 1,178 meters installed in Q1, 234 in Q2, and 131 in Q3.
Two DisCos dominated the framework: Jos Electricity Distribution Plc led with 52,174 meters, including 31,442 in 2024 alone, while Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company installed 37,156 meters, mostly between 2019 and 2023.
Other DisCos recorded negligible figures: Enugu (597 meters, all pre-2024), Kaduna (149 in 2024), and Kano (96 in 2024). Eko, Aba, Abuja, Benin, Ikeja, Port Harcourt, and Yola recorded zero installations under the framework.
In Q3 2025, DisCos funded just 131 meters, representing only 0.06 per cent of the 228,614 total meters installed across all frameworks.
Alternative schemes drove the majority: 176,302 meters (77.12 per cent) under the Meter Asset Provider (MAP) framework, 44,104 (25.01 per cent) under the Vendor-Financed model, and 7,902 (3.46 per cent) through the World Bank-supported Distribution Sector Recovery Programme (DSRP).
NERC reiterated that inadequate metering continues to fuel disputes over estimated billing and deepen commercial losses in the power sector.
The commission stressed that improved customer enumeration and accelerated deployment are essential to boosting revenue collection and reducing aggregate technical, commercial, and collection (ATC&C) losses.
As of September 2025, 6.66 million out of 12.03 million active registered customers had been metered, achieving a national metering rate of 55.37 per cent.
The Meter Acquisition Fund (MAF), introduced in February 2023 via a surcharge in allowed tariffs, has supported installations, with Kaduna DisCo adding 175 meters in Q3 under Tranche A (total 107,461).
Tranche B became operational in October 2025, unlocking N28 billion for metering Band A and B customers.
The DSRP, backed by a $500 million World Bank loan, targets 3.2 million smart meters nationwide and recorded 7,902 installations by the end of Q3.
The persistent metering shortfall remains a critical barrier to a fully efficient, commercially viable electricity market in Nigeria.
 in Nigeria have installed just 90,172 meters nationwide between 2019 and the third quarter of 2025 under the DisCo-Financed Framework, highlighting their limited contribution to closing the country’s massive metering deficit.){kind=link}