By Fredrick Ameh
The latest metering factsheet released by the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) has shown that Eko and Ikeja Electricity Distribution Companies remain the top-performing utilities in Nigeria’s metering drive, as the national metering rate rose to 58.57 percent in February 2026.
The report revealed that 121,798 new electricity customers were metered nationwide in February, representing a slight increase from the 119,792 customers metered in January.
According to NERC data, the total number of active electricity customers increased from 12,232,130 in January to 12,307,314 in February 2026, while total metered customers rose from 7,086,376 to 7,208,174 within the same period.
This development narrowed the national metering gap slightly and pushed the metering rate upward from 57.93 percent in January to 58.57 percent in February.
A breakdown of the performance indicators showed that Eko Electricity Distribution Company maintained its position as the industry leader with a metering efficiency rate of 87.62 percent in February, up from 87.15 percent in January. The utility metered 13,426 new customers during the month under review.
Ikeja Electric followed closely with an 87.16 percent metering rate after deploying 13,933 new meters, while Abuja Electricity Distribution Company emerged as the highest in volume deployment with 18,352 new meters installed, increasing its metering rate to 79.37 percent.
However, the report highlighted significant infrastructure gaps among several northern and eastern distribution companies.
Yola Electricity Distribution Company recorded the weakest performance nationwide with a metering rate of 31.86 percent, despite installing 5,273 new meters in February.
Jos Electricity Distribution Company and Kaduna Electricity Distribution Company also posted low metering rates of 34.04 percent and 35.59 percent, respectively.
The data further showed that Kano Electricity Distribution Company recorded one of the slowest deployment rates nationwide, installing only 149 new meters out of an active customer base of nearly 800,000 customers, leaving its metering rate stagnant at 35.37 percent.
Industry-wide statistics indicate that more than 5.09 million electricity consumers remain unmetered across Nigeria and are still subjected to estimated billing.
Industry analysts noted that while the increase in meter deployment reflects growing regulatory pressure and ongoing reforms, the pace of installations remains insufficient to eliminate the metering gap in the near term.
According to observers, accelerated market reforms, improved utility financing, and stronger capital investment frameworks will be required to support underperforming distribution companies and achieve wider metering coverage nationwide.