Consumers pay N1.2trn for electricity in six months — NERC
By Obas Esiedesa, Abuja
Electricity consumers in Nigeria paid approximately N1.2 trillion for power in the first half of 2026, according to data released by the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC).
This figure reflects the total revenue collected by the 11 electricity distribution companies (DisCos) from January to June 2026. NERC’s monthly commercial performance reports show that the DisCos collected N204.75 billion in January, N196.68 billion in February, N196.13 billion in March, N203.61 billion in April, N208.15 billion in May, and N191.68 billion in June.
May marked the highest monthly collection, while June recorded the lowest, representing a 7.9% decline from May’s figures, down by approximately N16.47 billion.
According to NERC’s June 2026 factsheet, the DisCos received 315.73 billion kilowatt-hours (kWh) of electricity that month, with 240.71 billion kWh billed, resulting in a billing efficiency of 76.24%. This figure showed a slight decrease of 0.63 percentage points from May.
Total billings in June amounted to N240.71 billion, while actual revenue collection reached N191.86 billion, yielding a collection efficiency of 79.71%, down 2.61 percentage points from the previous month. The June report revealed a N48.85 billion gap between the billed amount and the revenue collected.
In assessing revenue recovery, NERC noted an allowed average tariff of N130.15 per kWh, compared to an actual average collection of N96.63 per kWh. This yielded a recovery efficiency of 74.24%, a decline of 3.07 percentage points from May.
Performance varied significantly among the DisCos. Eko Disco achieved the highest revenue recovery efficiency at 87.04%, followed closely by Port Harcourt at 86.33%, Benin at 82.23%, and Ikeja at 80.08%. Conversely, Kaduna Disco reported the lowest recovery efficiency at 37.03%, with Kano at 44.04% and Jos at 51.33%.
In terms of collection efficiency, Benin Disco led the sector at 94%, followed by Ikeja at 89% and Eko at 88.64%. Kano and Kaduna recorded the lowest collection efficiencies at 42.16% and 46.13%, respectively.
