ABUJA, Nigeria — Approximately 5.1 million electricity consumers, representing about 41 per cent of Nigeria’s 12.31 million active power customer base, lacked prepaid meters as of February 2026.
The data came from the national utility monitoring agency’s monthly statistics. Okay News reports that the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission disclosed only 7.21 million customers possessed meters by the conclusion of February 2026, which left the remaining population on estimated billing systems.
The national metering rate grew from 57.93 per cent in January 2026 to 58.57 per cent in February 2026. This expansion followed the installation of 121,798 new meters during that timeframe.
Among the regional distribution firms, Eko Electricity Distribution Company and Ikeja Electric achieved the highest metering rates at 87.62 per cent and 87.16 per cent respectively. Abuja Electricity Distribution Company reached 79.37 per cent, while Port Harcourt Electricity Distribution Company recorded 66.36 per cent. Metering rates for Benin Electricity Distribution Company, Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company, and Enugu Electricity Distribution Company stood at 56.75 per cent, 52.23 per cent, and 51.83 per cent respectively.
Yola Electricity Distribution Company recorded the lowest metering rate at 31.86 per cent. The other lowest-performing utilities included Jos Electricity Distribution Company at 34.04 per cent, Kano Electricity Distribution Company at 35.37 per cent, and Kaduna Electricity Distribution Company at 35.59 per cent.
In terms of monthly deployments, Benin Electricity Distribution Company installed 25,658 new meters in February 2026, while Abuja Electricity Distribution Company added 18,352 units and Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company deployed 16,445 units. The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission defined active customers as electricity consumers who vended or received utility bills at least once within a 12-month period.
