Nigeria: Nigeria's Metered Customers Rise By 111,654 to 7.44 Million in One Month

What the report says

Nigeria’s electricity sector added 111,654 metered customers in April 2026, lifting the national total from 7,324,079 in March to 7,435,733, according to data from the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission cited by This Day and distributed by AllAfrica. The increase nudged the country’s metering rate up from 59.13% to 59.69%, a modest improvement that reflects continued but uneven progress in reducing the number of households and businesses without meters.

The report said the overall gap did not narrow as much as the metering gain alone might suggest because the active customer base also grew during the month. Active electricity customers increased by 70,220 to 12,457,068, leaving 5,021,335 customers without meters in April, down from 5,062,769 in March. In other words, more meters were installed, but new customers entering the system meant the backlog remained large.

Performance across the 11 distribution companies varied widely. Eko, Ikeja and Abuja had the highest metering rates, while Yola, Jos and Kano remained among the lowest. Ibadan recorded the largest number of newly metered customers and the biggest reduction in its unmetered customer base, while Enugu saw its gap widen during the month. The figures highlight a broader challenge for distribution firms and regulators: meter deployment must keep pace with customer growth if the national deficit is to shrink more quickly.