The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission has disclosed that electricity consumers across the country lodged over 254,000 complaints in the first quarter of 2025, with metering issues, inaccurate billing, and power supply interruptions accounting for the majority.
According to The PUNCH, this figure, detailed in the commission’s newly released quarterly report, represents a 7.72% decrease compared to the 275,681 complaints recorded in the last quarter of 2024.
According to NERC, “The most prevalent issues were related to metering (42.84%), billing (12.27%), and service interruptions (7.66%),” which together formed more than 62% of all consumer complaints.
Among the 11 distribution companies (DisCos), Port Harcourt DisCo had the highest number of complaints with 57,843—22.74% of the national total—while Yola DisCo received the fewest at 2,495 cases, representing less than 1%.
The report also showed contrasting trends across the DisCos. Abuja DisCo saw the most significant drop in consumer feedback, falling by over 74% to 6,225 complaints from 23,963 in the previous quarter. In contrast, Kano DisCo saw a steep rise of 86%, recording 32,251 cases in Q1 2025, up from 17,328 in Q4 2024.
Commenting on the situation, the regulatory body stated, “The credit adjustment on customers’ bills, following resolved complaints, is a strong indicator of our commitment to consumer protection and accountability in the power sector.”
Notably, customer complaints related to overbilling resulted in a refund of ₦32.2 billion to affected consumers during the review period. Port Harcourt DisCo again led in billing complaints with 5,260 cases, alongside 28,959 entries under miscellaneous grievances. Eko DisCo followed closely with high metering-related issues (17,972), while Ibadan DisCo reported 25,940 complaints in the “Others” category, signaling a variety of unresolved service issues.
Further analysis revealed rising cases in other areas, including voltage fluctuations (3,900), illegal disconnections (1,417), and load shedding (202). The NERC Central Complaint Unit also received 4,169 complaints directly, with Ikeja, Port Harcourt, and Abuja DisCos topping that chart as well.
Despite the widespread dissatisfaction, the report highlighted the DisCos’ earnings, revealing that they collectively generated ₦553.63 billion in revenue during the quarter. This is in spite of persistent consumer concerns over erratic power supply, billing inefficiencies, and unstable grid performance.
NERC assured consumers of ongoing reforms to improve service delivery and said efforts are underway to “enhance enforcement and strengthen customer service mechanisms across all DisCos.”