The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) has disclosed that electricity distribution companies across Nigeria received a staggering 254,404 customer complaints in the first quarter of 2025, largely due to faulty meters, billing discrepancies, and frequent service interruptions.
This was revealed in NERC Q1 2025 Performance Monitoring Report, which highlights ongoing inefficiencies in the power distribution segment. Although the NERC figure represents a 7.72% drop from the 275,681 complaints filed in Q4 2024, the volume of unresolved issues remains alarming.
According to the report, the top three grievances—metering (42.84%), billing (12.27%), and interruption of supply (7.66%)—made up over 62% of all complaints, indicating persistent gaps in service delivery and consumer satisfaction.
Port Harcourt Electricity Distribution Company led the NERC chart with 57,843 complaints, accounting for 22.74% of all submissions nationwide. On the opposite end, Yola DisCo recorded the lowest number at just 2,495 complaints, representing 0.98% of the total.
Other high-volume complaint zones included:
Ibadan DisCo – 42,393 complaints
Eko DisCo – 36,780 complaints
Ikeja DisCo – 25,555 complaints
Notably, Abuja Electricity Distribution Company experienced the steepest drop, from 23,963 in Q4 2024 to just 6,225 in Q1 2025—a 74% decline.
Despite improvements in some regions, six DisCos recorded increases in customer dissatisfaction. Kano DisCo saw the sharpest rise, with an 86.12% increase—from 17,328 in Q4 2024 to 32,251 in Q1 2025. Kaduna, Yola, Aba Power, and Ikeja also saw significant upticks in complaints.
One of the most alarming takeaways from the NERC report was the revelation that ₦32.2 billion was refunded to customers during Q1 following successful resolutions of overbilling complaints.
The commission stated that these refunds underscore its commitment to protecting consumer rights and ensuring electricity providers are held accountable for infractions. Port Harcourt and Ikeja DisCos had the highest billing-related complaints escalated to NERC’s Central Complaints Unit (CCU), with 91 and 283 cases respectively.
Metering issues remain the number one complaint, with Eko DisCo recording 17,972 metering-related grievances—the highest in the country. Kano followed closely with 25,988 complaints tied to faulty or unavailable meters, while Ibadan recorded over 3,200 cases.
The metering gap continues to fuel estimated billing and consumer disputes, even as the Federal Government’s mass metering initiative struggles with full implementation across distribution companies.
Other Critical Issues: Delays, Voltage Fluctuations, Disconnections
Beyond the dominant categories, NERC’s report also cited:
Voltage issues – 3,900 complaints
Load shedding – 202 complaints
Disconnections – 1,417 complaints
Delays in service response – 736 complaints
Ibadan DisCo had a disproportionately high volume in the “Others” category with 25,940 complaints, pointing to broader structural and service-related problems not neatly captured by existing classifications.
NERC Moves to Enforce Accountability
Reacting to the report, NERC reiterated its commitment to enhancing enforcement mechanisms, improving DisCos’ customer service protocols, and ensuring timely resolution of consumer issues. The commission emphasized that real-time responsiveness and transparency are critical to restoring public trust in Nigeria’s power sector.
“The credit adjustment on customers’ bills, following resolved complaints, is a strong indicator of our commitment to consumer protection and accountability in the power sector,” the commission stated.
Meanwhile, despite ongoing customer dissatisfaction, DisCos collectively raked in ₦553.63 billion in revenue during Q1 2025. This financial boost came even amid widespread complaints of low power supply, frequent grid instability, and billing inefficiencies.
Consumer rights advocates are calling for stricter penalties against non-compliant DisCos and for the acceleration of smart metering and grid modernization projects.
“As long as estimated billing and faulty meters persist, we’ll continue to see this cycle of complaints and distrust,” said Akin Folahan, an energy analyst based in Lagos.