Nigeria's 11 electricity distribution companies (DisCos) recovered N1.2 trillion from customers between January and June 2026, but roughly N301 billion in electricity bills went unpaid during the same period, according to commercial factsheets published by the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC).
DisCos Issue N1.502 Trillion in Bills, Collect 80%
The NERC data show the DisCos issued bills worth N1.502 trillion over the six months, yet collected only about 80 per cent of that amount, leaving a N301 billion shortfall, equivalent to one-fifth of all electricity bills raised in the period.
Monthly collections fluctuated throughout the half-year. Collections peaked at N208.15 billion in May before dropping to N191.86 billion in June, the weakest month of the period. January recorded N204.74 billion, February N196.68 billion, March N196.13 billion, and April N203.61 billion.
Ikeja Electric and Eko DisCo Lead Collections
Among the 11 DisCos, Ikeja Electric and Eko DisCo each recorded N227.56 billion in collections, the highest in the country. Abuja DisCo came in at N215.12 billion, followed by Ibadan DisCo at N124.47 billion, Benin DisCo at N99.89 billion, and Port Harcourt DisCo at N97.79 billion.
Enugu DisCo collected N89.14 billion, Kano DisCo N48.91 billion, Jos DisCo N39.38 billion, and Kaduna DisCo N30.93 billion. Yola DisCo recorded the lowest collection of any distributor at N19.83 billion.
On unpaid bills, Abuja DisCo carried the heaviest burden at N46.79 billion, trailed by Kano DisCo with N40.36 billion and Ibadan DisCo with N35.54 billion. Kaduna DisCo had N32.36 billion outstanding, Enugu DisCo N31.33 billion, and Jos DisCo N29.98 billion.
Kaduna, Kano, Jos Lag on Revenue Recovery
Eko DisCo recorded N24.35 billion in unpaid bills, Ikeja DisCo N22.29 billion, Port Harcourt DisCo N18.29 billion, Benin DisCo N12.53 billion, and Yola DisCo N7.96 billion.
The NERC factsheets singled out three DisCos for especially weak collection performance. Kaduna DisCo recovered just 48 per cent of its billed revenue, collecting N30.93 billion against N63.29 billion billed. Kano DisCo did marginally better, recovering 54.79 per cent after collecting N48.91 billion from N89.27 billion billed. Jos DisCo recovered 56.78 per cent, bringing in N39.38 billion from N69.36 billion issued to customers.
The persistent gap between electricity supplied, billed, and actually paid for continues to strain the financial health of Nigeria's power sector, limiting the ability of distribution companies to meet their obligations along the electricity value chain.
Related Power Outage in Kogi State
Earlier, Legit.ng reported that the Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC) has announced a planned electricity outage that will last about 19 hours in several parts of Kogi State. The company issued the notice in a public statement to customers in Lokoja town, Konton Karfe, Naval Base, Banda, Felele, Army Barracks and surrounding areas. According to the notice, the technical team of the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) has scheduled a maintenance exercise at the Lokoja Transmission Station.
