Nigeria has reached a milestone in the utility sector, with more than half of its registered electricity consumers now using prepaid meters.
According to the latest data from the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC), the national metering rate rose to 57.27% by the end of December 2025, unlike previous months.
Before now, the power sector has been struggling with estimated billing, where customers without meters are charged based on perceived consumption rather than actual usage. This system for decades resulted in overbilling and systemic liquidity issues for Distribution Companies (DisCos).
To address this bottleneck, the NERC introduced the Meter Asset Provider (MAP) scheme and the National Mass Metering Programme (NMMP) to accelerate the transition to a pay-as-you-go model.
Many Nigerians, as well as electricity stakeholders welcomed the transition to the prepaid metering system as a critical step in making the Nigerian power sector commercially viable.
The prepaid metering system allows consumers to monitor their energy consumption, as well as ensuring that DisCos receive accurate payments for the electricity they supply.
Out of 12,163,412 active electricity customers in Nigeria, 6,966,584 are now metered.
The Ikeja DisCo leads the nation with a 86.40% metering rate, while Kaduna DisCo lags behind at just 34.42%.
Distribution companies installed 109,556 new meters in December 2025 alone, representing a 24% increase in the pace of installation compared to the previous month.
Stakeholders argue that the increased pace of installation will reduce commercial losses and provide the necessary capital to upgrade the national grid.
However, Daily Tech Nigeria gathered from an existing report that nearly 5.1 million customers, roughly 43% of the market, still lack meters. According to reports those without meters remain vulnerable to arbitrary estimated bills, which often exceed the actual value of the power delivered.
The recent 40% hike in the price of prepaid meters has made access more difficult for low-income households.
NERC expects the metering rate to surpass 65% by the end of 2026. The Federal Government of Nigeria is reviewing financing models to make meters more affordable following the recent price adjustments.
