Nigeria’s electricity distribution companies (DisCos) has incurred commercial losses of N309.73 billion in the first quarter of 2026 due to high unbilled energy and poor revenue collection.
This was disclosed by the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC).
According to NERC DisCos received electricity worth N907.28 billion but billed only N756.92 billion, leaving N150.36 billion unbilled.
They collected N597.55 billion from billed customers, resulting in N159.37 billion in uncollected revenue.
January recorded the weakest performance with 79.72% billing efficiency and 76.34% collection efficiency. Performance improved in February, achieving the highest revenue recovery of 80.67%, before slightly declining in March.
Eko and Ikeja DisCos led in performance, with Eko recording over 100% revenue recovery in February by collecting previous debts.
The persistent challenges, more than a decade after privatisation, stem from inadequate metering, energy theft, and weak enforcement.
These losses continue to disrupt cash flow across the power value chain.
Separately, the Nigerian Independent System Operator reported massive electricity theft of about 180MW along the Ikorodu-Sagamu transmission corridor, threatening grid stability.
