Despite delivering pervasive darkness across the country, Ikeja Electric, Eko Distribution Company, and other electricity distribution companies, DisCos, collected over N801bn in the first four months of this year.
A report by the Global Financial Digest cited statistics just released by the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) which indicates that the 11 electricity distribution companies collected N204.74 billion in January, N196.68 billion in February, N196.13 billion in March and N203.61 billion in April.
The referenced NERC statistics further revealed that between January and April 2026, the utilities issued electricity bills worth N1.01 trillion but recovered N801.16 billion, leaving about N207.77 billion in outstanding payments.
The staggering revenue harvested by the DisCos was reaped despite the indescribable sufferings that consumers had to endure as a result of the drastic reduction in electricity generation occasioned by inadequate gas supply. The consequent persistent electricity shortages inflicted untold hardship on millions of households and businesses across the country, especially between February and March, when erratic power supply, frequent load shedding and incessant grid collapse were the order of the day.
Breaking it down, the NERC, in the report, revealed that in January, customers were billed N268.20 billion, with collections reaching N204.74 billion, leaving N63.46 billion unpaid. Billing efficiency stood at 79.72 per cent, while collection efficiency was 76.34 per cent.
But in February, billing declined to N242.29 billion while collections stood at N196.68 billion, leaving N45.61 billion outstanding. Billing efficiency improved to 87.44 per cent, with collection efficiency rising to 81.17 per cent.
In March, DisCos billed N246.43 billion and recovered N196.13 billion, resulting in N50.30 billion in unpaid bills. Billing and collection efficiencies were 83.89 per cent and 79.59 per cent, respectively.
However, billings in April increased to N252.43 billion while collections stood at N203.61 billion, leaving N48.82 billion uncollected. Billing efficiency was 83.32 per cent, with collection efficiency improving slightly to 80.66 per cent.
The NERC’s data also showed that a substantial portion of electricity supplied during the period was never billed, highlighting the continued impact of metering gaps and other commercial losses within the power sector.
