Electricity distribution companies collected a total of N801.16bn from consumers between January and April 2026 despite persistent power outages and supply constraints across the country, according to data from the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission.
The regulator’s commercial performance factsheets showed that the 11 DisCos recorded collections of N204.74bn in January, N196.68bn in February, N196.13bn in March and N203.61bn in April, bringing total revenue for the first four months of the year to N801.16bn.
The collections came despite months of unstable electricity supply experienced by households and businesses, driven largely by gas shortages that constrained power generation and triggered widespread load shedding, particularly in February and March.
According to NERC data, the 11 DisCos issued electricity bills totalling N1.01tn between January and April but recovered N801.16bn, leaving about N207.77bn in outstanding revenue over the four-month period.
In January, the DisCos billed customers N268.20bn and collected N204.74bn, leaving N63.46bn outstanding. Billing efficiency stood at 79.72 per cent, while collection efficiency was 76.34 per cent.
In February, total billings declined to N242.29bn, while collections amounted to N196.68bn, leaving N45.61bn uncollected. Billing efficiency improved to 87.44 per cent, with collection efficiency rising to 81.17 per cent.
In March, the companies billed N246.43bn and recovered N196.13bn, leaving an outstanding balance of N50.30bn. Billing and collection efficiencies stood at 83.89 per cent and 79.59 per cent, respectively.
The latest NERC factsheet showed that total billings rose to N252.43bn in April, while revenue collections reached N203.61bn, leaving N48.82bn uncollected during the month. Billing efficiency stood at 83.32 per cent, while collection efficiency improved slightly to 80.66 per cent.
The reports also indicated that a significant share of the electricity supplied to the distribution companies went unbilled throughout the four-month period, highlighting persistent metering gaps and ongoing commercial losses in the power sector.
However, Kaduna Electricity Distribution Company, Kano Electricity Distribution Company and Jos Electricity Distribution Company continued to trail their peers. Kaduna recorded a recovery efficiency of 43.15 per cent in April, while Kano and Jos posted 51.87 per cent and 52.48 per cent, respectively.
The revenue performance came against the backdrop of prolonged electricity shortages experienced during the first quarter of the year.
During the period, electricity generation declined sharply as inadequate gas supply forced several thermal power plants to shut down or cut output. At certain points, national generation dropped from about 4,000 megawatts to below 2,000MW, prompting the Transmission Company of Nigeria to ration the limited electricity available to distribution companies.
Operational data released by the Nigerian Independent System Operator showed that thermal power plants require an estimated 1,629.75 million standard cubic feet of gas per day to operate at optimal capacity. However, as of February 23, actual gas supply stood at about 692 million standard cubic feet per day, representing less than 43 per cent of the volume required to sustain full electricity generation.
Throughout the period, electricity distribution companies repeatedly attributed widespread power outages to generation shortfalls caused by inadequate gas supply.
Although electricity supply began to improve gradually toward the end of April, many consumers continued to raise concerns over high electricity tariffs, estimated billing and poor service delivery.
Industry stakeholders have also called for accelerated metering, reduced energy theft and increased investment in power infrastructure to improve the financial and operational performance of the electricity distribution companies.
