Kano, Yola lag as metered electricity users hit 7.2m

Electricity distribution companies (DisCos) across Nigeria added 241,590 new metered customers between January and February 2026, pushing the total number of metered users to 7.21 million, according to the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC).

Data from NERC’s latest factsheet showed that the national metering rate rose slightly from 57.93 per cent in January to 58.57 per cent in February, reflecting gradual progress in closing the metering gap.

A breakdown of the figures indicated that 119,792 customers were metered in January, while 121,798 received meters in February. Over the same period, the total number of active electricity customers increased from 12.23 million to 12.31 million.

Among the 11 DisCos, Eko and Ikeja maintained the strongest performance, with metering rates exceeding 87 per cent. Eko DisCo improved from 87.15 per cent to 87.62 per cent, while Ikeja rose from 86.69 per cent to 87.16 per cent.

Abuja DisCo also recorded notable progress, increasing its metering rate from 78.54 per cent to 79.37 per cent after adding 18,352 new customers in February.

Other DisCos showed moderate gains. Port Harcourt improved from 65.47 per cent to 66.36 per cent, while Benin rose from 55.16 per cent to 56.75 per cent after adding over 25,000 customers across both months. Ibadan and Enugu remained just above the 50 per cent mark, with marginal increases in their metering rates.

However, several northern DisCos continued to trail behind. Jos and Kaduna recorded slight improvements, reaching 34.04 per cent and 35.59 per cent respectively.

Kano DisCo posted one of the weakest performances, adding only 161 customers in January and 149 in February, with its metering rate stagnating at about 35.37 per cent.

Yola DisCo remained the least metered nationwide, despite a slight rise from 30.85 per cent to 31.86 per cent, underscoring persistent challenges in expanding metering coverage in parts of northern Nigeria.