The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) has reported a significant improvement in the commercial performance of electricity Distribution Companies (DisCos), with billing efficiency hitting 86% in September 2025, according to its latest Commercial Performance Factsheet.
The report shows that DisCos received energy worth ₦279.45 billion in September, out of which ₦241.54 billion was successfully billed to customers, translating to a billing efficiency of 86.43%. This marks a 2.58% improvement over August, driven by improved metering penetration, better energy accounting, and more rigorous billing verification practices, especially among top-performing DisCos.
Growing Discos Revenue
On the revenue side, DisCos strengthened their cash collection performance. Of the ₦241.54 billion billed, they recovered ₦196.26 billion, a 2.69% increase compared to the previous month. This pushed collection efficiency to 81.25%, up by 1.18%, indicating that more customers are paying their electricity bills as due and helping to ease the sector’s persistent liquidity pressures.
With an approved average end-user tariff of ₦116.34/kWh, the actual average collection was ₦97.09/kWh, resulting in a revenue recovery efficiency of 83.45%. This represents a 3.67% improvement and reflects growing effectiveness in converting billed energy into cash, despite continued issues such as energy theft, meter bypass, poor infrastructure, and customer dissatisfaction.
Eko, Abuja, and Ikeja DisCos maintained their status as top performers, supported by stronger administrative systems and customer service structures. Aba DisCo notably recorded a billing efficiency of 102.85%, attributed to improved energy optimisation and reconciliation of legacy receivables.
Benin, Port Harcourt, and Kano DisCos posted moderate results but still lag behind the leaders, while Jos, Kaduna, and Yola DisCos underperformed, held back by limited metering coverage, operational bottlenecks, and high collection losses.
Earlier in the month, NERC disclosed that the number of active customers across the 11 DisCos rose from 11.89 million in July to 11.96 million in August 2025, reflecting ongoing investments in metering and customer management aimed at improving billing transparency and confidence in the system.
