Nigeria’s electricity distribution companies (DisCos) generated ₦801.16 billion from electricity consumers between January and April 2026, despite persistent power outages and unreliable electricity supply across the country.
Figures released by the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) show that the 11 DisCos collected ₦204.74 billion in January, ₦196.68 billion in February, ₦196.13 billion in March, and ₦203.61 billion in April, bringing total revenue for the four-month period to ₦801.16 billion.
Despite the strong collections, millions of households and businesses continued to experience prolonged blackouts caused largely by power generation shortfalls linked to inadequate gas supply.
NERC’s commercial performance data also revealed that while DisCos billed customers a total of ₦1.01 trillion during the period, they recovered only ₦801.16 billion, leaving a revenue shortfall of ₦207.77 billion.
In January, customers were billed ₦268.20 billion, with ₦204.74 billion recovered. February recorded billings of ₦242.29 billion and collections of ₦196.68 billion, while March saw ₦246.43 billion billed and ₦196.13 billion recovered.
In April, DisCos billed ₦252.43 billion and collected ₦203.61 billion, leaving nearly ₦49 billion unpaid for the month.
The commission also noted that a significant amount of electricity supplied during the period was never billed, highlighting persistent metering gaps and commercial losses within the power sector.
Among the distribution companies, Eko Electricity Distribution Company recorded one of the strongest performances, posting a recovery efficiency of 102.09 per cent in April. Port Harcourt, Abuja, Ikeja and Benin DisCos also recorded recovery rates above 85 per cent.
However, Kaduna, Kano and Jos DisCos remained the weakest performers, with recovery efficiencies of 43.15 per cent, 51.87 per cent and 52.48 per cent, respectively.
The revenue growth came amid severe electricity shortages during the first quarter of the year, when national power generation dropped from about 4,000 megawatts to below 2,000MW because of inadequate gas supply to thermal power plants.
Data from the Nigerian Independent System Operator showed that while thermal plants require about 1.63 billion standard cubic feet of gas daily, supply fell to about 692 million standard cubic feet per day in February, forcing widespread load shedding across the country.
Although electricity supply improved slightly towards the end of April, many consumers continued to complain about high electricity tariffs, estimated billing and poor service delivery.
Industry experts have called for accelerated metering, reduced energy theft and greater investment in power infrastructure to improve both service delivery and the financial performance of the electricity sector.
Meanwhile, the Lagos State Electricity Regulatory Commission (LASERC) reminded consumers that electricity providers are not permitted to recover charges older than 12 months, except in cases involving meter tampering, illegal electricity consumption or obstruction of meter reading.
