NERC Releases Number of Nigerians Who Complained Over Outrageous Electricity Billing
- NERC recorded 8,305 complaints in 2025, with outrageous billing accounting for the largest share at 34.35 per cent
- According to data, DisCos received 708,699 complaints, mainly over metering, billing and power interruptions
- NERC also issued 194 licences, permits and certifications, while 30 licensed power plants had a combined capacity of 14,039MW
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Legit.ng journalist Victor Enengedi has over a decade's experience covering energy, MSMEs, technology, banking and the economy.
Outrageous electricity bills accounted for 2,853 complaints received by the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) in 2025, representing 34.35 per cent of the 8,305 complaints documented during the year.
This was disclosed in NERC’s 2025 Annual Report, which identified billing, metering, service interruptions and disconnections as the major concerns raised by electricity consumers.
Source: UGC
According to the report, billing-related complaints made up 34.35 per cent of the total, followed by metering issues at 29.62 per cent, service interruptions at 14.82 per cent and disconnections at 9.24 per cent.
NERC said the four categories jointly represented 88.03 per cent of all complaints recorded during the period.
The Commission further disclosed that its Customer Complaint Units (CCUs) in Ikeja, Abuja and Eko received the highest number of complaints, with 2,860, 1,794 and 1,387 cases respectively. The figures represented 34.44 per cent, 21.60 per cent and 16.70 per cent of the total complaints.
On the other hand, Kano DisCo recorded the lowest number, with just 27 complaints, equivalent to 0.33 per cent of the total.
The report stated that only 3,840 of the 8,305 complaints were resolved during the year, giving a resolution rate of 46.24 per cent.
DisCos Receive Over 708,000 Consumer Complaints
Beyond complaints submitted directly to NERC, electricity distribution companies (DisCos) collectively received 708,699 complaints from their customers in 2025.
Port Harcourt, Ibadan and Kano DisCos recorded the highest volumes, receiving 140,320, 126,082 and 100,586 complaints respectively. These figures accounted for 19.80 per cent, 17.79 per cent and 14.19 per cent of all complaints submitted to DisCos.
Yola DisCo had the fewest complaints at 9,388, representing 1.32 per cent of the total.
Metering was the most common complaint category among DisCo customers, accounting for 44.56 per cent of cases. Billing followed with 16.73 per cent, while service interruptions represented 8.47 per cent.
Together, the three categories made up 69.76 per cent of all complaints recorded by the DisCos in 2025.
Meanwhile, NERC said it issued 194 licences, permits and certifications during the year after successfully evaluating applications submitted to the Commission.
As of December 2025, the report said the 30 operational power plants licensed by NERC had a combined nameplate capacity of 14,039 megawatts (MW).
Five of the plants are hydropower facilities, while the remaining 25 are gas-fired thermal power plants.
Source: UGC
Lagos grants 14 electricity licences to new firms
Meanwhile, Legit.ng earlier reported that LASERC issued 14 new electricity licences to boost competition in the sector.
Major firms like Axxela and Isolo Power Gen received approvals for significant power generation projects across Lagos.
LASERC plans new zonal offices to enhance customer service and simplify regulatory access for electricity consumers.
Source: Legit.ng
