Over Half of Nigerians Still Lack Prepaid Meters — See Full List of DisCos with the Worst Coverage

According to NewsVista reporters, Nigeria’s prepaid metering progress remains slow despite the federal government’s ongoing efforts. A total of 187,194 new meters were installed in the first quarter of 2025, but over 53% of electricity consumers are still stuck on estimated billing.

Data from the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) shows that 46.98% of Nigerians now have prepaid meters, a minor improvement from the last quarter of 2024.

The majority of Q1 installations — nearly 80% — were carried out under the Meter Asset Provider (MAP) framework. Another 36,787 meters came through the Meter Acquisition Fund (MAF), while just over 1,600 were installed through Disco- and vendor-financed programs.

Among electricity distribution companies (DisCos), Ikeja Electric leads with 78% metering coverage, followed by Abuja (72%) and Eko (64%). On the other end, Yola Disco has the lowest with just 14% coverage, while Kaduna and Kano are tied at 25%.

Here’s a breakdown of meters installed in Q1 2025:

• Ibadan: 42,685

• Ikeja: 40,810

• Abuja: 25,400

• Benin: 23,591

• Enugu: 14,459

• Eko: 14,097

• Kano: 5,281

• Jos: 5,140

Meanwhile, Aba Power Electric also launched a free metering program, spending over ₦33 billion to distribute meters across 19 LGAs.

To stop customer exploitation through overbilling, NERC has enforced energy caps, which limit what DisCos can charge based on real consumption. Any company caught violating this will face strict penalties, including mandatory refunds to customers.

As part of long-term reforms, the Presidential Metering Initiative (PMI) is set to begin the distribution of 6 million meters from Q4 2025, aiming to close Nigeria’s lingering metering gap once and for all.