Nigerians Paid N208.15bn for Electricity in May 2026, NERC Data Shows
By Aboki Forex —
Electricity consumers in Nigeria paid N208.15 billion for power in May 2026, according to the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC). The figure came as DisCos improved revenue collection efficiency to 82.32%, despite a drop in billing efficiency.
NERC's Commercial Performance Factsheet for May 2026 showed that the 11 electricity distribution companies received power worth N328.95 billion during the month. That was an 8.58% increase from the N302.99 billion recorded in April.
Billing and Collection Efficiency
Electricity worth N252.87 billion was billed to customers in May, representing a billing efficiency of 76.87%. This was a decline of 6.45 percentage points from the previous month.
Despite the weaker billing performance, revenue collection efficiency rose to 82.32% from 80.66% in April. The higher collection rate helped DisCos generate N208.15 billion from customers, a 2.23% increase compared with the previous month.
NERC also put the industry's revenue recovery efficiency at 77.31% in May. This reflects the share of allowable revenue recovered by the distribution companies.
The average allowed tariff stood at N124.39 per kilowatt-hour (kWh), while the actual average collection was N96.16/kWh. That represents a 5.85% decline in average revenue collected per unit of electricity.
DisCos Ranking
Ikeja Electric recorded the strongest revenue recovery performance among the DisCos, with an efficiency rate of 94.63%. Eko DisCo followed with 91.54%, while Abuja DisCo recorded 84.84%.
Port Harcourt DisCo posted a recovery efficiency of 81.46%. Benin, Enugu, Ibadan and Yola recorded rates between 66.35% and 76.19%.
At the bottom of the ranking were Kaduna DisCo with 39.75%, Jos DisCo with 45.38% and Kano DisCo with 49.80%.
The performance highlights continued disparities in revenue recovery across Nigeria's electricity distribution network. Some DisCos still face significant challenges in converting billed electricity into actual revenue.