N301bn electricity bills unpaid as DisCos collect N1.2trn in six months
By Aboki Forex —
Nigerians left N301 billion in electricity bills unpaid between January and June 2026, even as the 11 distribution companies recovered N1.2 trillion from customers. The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) factsheets show total bills worth N1.502 trillion were issued during the period.
The DisCos collected about 80 per cent of the amount billed, leaving a shortfall equivalent to one-fifth of all bills raised in the half-year.
Monthly collection trend
Collections peaked at N208.15 billion in May before dropping to N191.86 billion in June, the weakest month of the half-year. January recorded N204.74 billion, February N196.68 billion, March N196.13 billion, and April N203.61 billion.
DisCo performance
Ikeja Electric and Eko DisCo each recorded N227.56 billion in collections, the highest among the 11 distributors. Abuja DisCo collected N215.12 billion, Ibadan DisCo N124.47 billion, Benin DisCo N99.89 billion, and Port Harcourt DisCo N97.79 billion. Enugu DisCo collected N89.14 billion, Kano DisCo N48.91 billion, Jos DisCo N39.38 billion, and Kaduna DisCo N30.93 billion. Yola DisCo recorded the lowest collection at N19.83 billion.
On unpaid bills, Abuja DisCo carried the heaviest burden at N46.79 billion, followed by Kano DisCo with N40.36 billion and Ibadan DisCo with N35.54 billion. Kaduna DisCo had N32.36 billion outstanding, Enugu DisCo N31.33 billion, and Jos DisCo N29.98 billion. Eko DisCo recorded N24.35 billion in unpaid bills, Ikeja DisCo N22.29 billion, Port Harcourt DisCo N18.29 billion, Benin DisCo N12.53 billion, and Yola DisCo N7.96 billion.
Worst performing DisCos
NERC singled out three DisCos for weak collection performance. Kaduna DisCo recovered just 48 per cent of its billed revenue, collecting N30.93 billion against N63.29 billion billed. Kano DisCo recovered 54.79 per cent, collecting N48.91 billion from N89.27 billion billed. Jos DisCo recovered 56.78 per cent, bringing in N39.38 billion from N69.36 billion issued to customers.
The persistent gap between electricity supplied, billed and paid for continues to strain the financial health of Nigeria's power sector, limiting the ability of distribution companies to meet their obligations along the electricity value chain.