Over 254,000 electricity consumers lodged complaints against Distribution Companies (DisCos) across Nigeria in the first quarter of 2025, with issues ranging from faulty meters to estimated billing and persistent power outages, according to the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC).
The commission’s Q1 report revealed that between January and March 2025, a total of 254,404 complaints were received, a slight reduction of 7.72 percent compared to the 275,681 complaints recorded in Q4 2024.
A breakdown of the complaints shows that metering (42.84%), billing issues (12.27%), and service interruptions (7.66%) topped the chart, jointly accounting for more than 62 percent of all customer grievances.
The NERC report pointed to Port Harcourt Electricity Distribution Company as the most reported utility provider, attracting 57,843 complaints — nearly a quarter of the national total. At the other end of the spectrum, Yola DisCo recorded the fewest complaints, with 2,495 cases.
While some DisCos such as Abuja, Benin, and Jos reported significant drops in the number of complaints — with Abuja DisCo recording a 74 percent decline — others saw sharp increases. Kano DisCo experienced the steepest rise, jumping by 86 percent from 17,328 in Q4 2024 to 32,251 in Q1 2025. Kaduna, Yola, and Aba Power also saw double-digit increases.
The commission noted that it received an additional 4,169 complaints directly through its Central Complaint Unit, mostly around billing, metering, and poor supply.
Amid the flurry of complaints, NERC disclosed that electricity consumers were refunded a total of ₦32.2 billion in the first quarter of 2025 alone due to verified cases of overbilling. Most of these refunds were credited directly to customers’ accounts following investigations into disputed charges.
Port Harcourt DisCo led the chart in billing-related complaints with 5,260 cases, followed by Ikeja and Abuja. In metering-related grievances, Eko DisCo recorded the highest with 17,972 cases, followed by Kano DisCo with 25,988.
Other unresolved issues included voltage fluctuations (3,900 cases), disconnections (1,417), delays (736), and load shedding (202 cases). In some regions like Ibadan, over 25,000 complaints were simply categorized as “others,” suggesting a wide range of lingering, unaddressed issues.
Despite the mounting complaints, DisCos collectively raked in ₦553.63 billion in revenue during the first quarter, according to the commission.
The irony of increasing earnings amid widespread dissatisfaction was not lost on consumers, many of whom face erratic supply, indiscriminate disconnections, and unreliable billing practices.
NERC, however, reaffirmed its commitment to consumer protection.
“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,” the commission stated.
It added that efforts were underway to strengthen customer care units and fast-track the resolution of complaints across all DisCos.
Electricity consumers have long lamented inadequate service delivery despite regular tariff hikes. Experts argue that the resolution of customer complaints, transparent metering systems, and accurate billing are critical to restoring public trust in the nation’s ailing power sector.
With over 60 percent of complaints centered on metering and billing alone, observers say the data underlines a persistent structural failure in how electricity is distributed, measured, and priced in Nigeria
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