Millions of Nigerians remain stuck paying phantom bills because the metering situation effectively sucks. The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission revealed that over five million customers lack proper measurement devices, which leaves them vulnerable to whatever random number distribution companies decide to invent. Only roughly half of the twelve million active users possess actual hardware, according to third-quarter data from 2025.
Total installations barely budged despite huge gaps in coverage. Ibadan, Aba, and Abuja topped the charts for deploying new units, while regions like Port Harcourt and Jos absolutely faceplanted with massive drops in performance. Aba specifically saw a massive surge in activity compared to the previous quarter.
Most people are getting connected and paid through the Meter Asset Provider framework rather than waiting for handouts. That specific scheme accounted for nearly eighty percent of all new setups. Vendor-financed options trailed significantly behind, while government-backed initiatives like the Distribution Sector Recovery Programme barely made a dent in the overall numbers.
Ibadan and Abuja also dominated the self-funded model. Nine different utility providers actually slowed down their rollout speeds, which suggests the grid operators care very little about fixing the billing crisis. The entire system relies heavily on users funding equipment themselves just to avoid exploitation.
Total installations barely budged despite huge gaps in coverage. Ibadan, Aba, and Abuja topped the charts for deploying new units, while regions like Port Harcourt and Jos absolutely faceplanted with massive drops in performance. Aba specifically saw a massive surge in activity compared to the previous quarter.
Most people are getting connected and paid through the Meter Asset Provider framework rather than waiting for handouts. That specific scheme accounted for nearly eighty percent of all new setups. Vendor-financed options trailed significantly behind, while government-backed initiatives like the Distribution Sector Recovery Programme barely made a dent in the overall numbers.
Ibadan and Abuja also dominated the self-funded model. Nine different utility providers actually slowed down their rollout speeds, which suggests the grid operators care very little about fixing the billing crisis. The entire system relies heavily on users funding equipment themselves just to avoid exploitation.
