₦airaland Forum

Electricity Distribution Companies in Nigeria collected about N600bn (N597.55bn) from consumers in the first quarter of 2026, according to the latest industry data released by the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission.

The figure, which covers January to March 2026, shows the DisCos generated revenue close to the N600bn mark despite persistent challenges in the power sector.

According to the NERC commercial performance factsheets, the DisCos recorded N204.74bn in January, N196.68bn in February and N196.13bn in March 2026, bringing the first-quarter total to N597.55bn, averaging approximately N199.18bn per month.

The NERC reports highlight varying levels of commercial efficiency across the 11 DisCos. While some companies showed improvements in billing and collection efficiencies in certain months, overall performance remained mixed, with notable revenue shortfalls recorded monthly.

In January, the DisCos had total billings of N268.20bn but collected only N204.74bn, leaving N63.46bn in uncollected revenue for the month. Billing efficiency stood at 79.72 per cent, while collection efficiency was 76.34 per cent.

February 2026 saw total billings of N242.29bn, with N196.68bn collected. This resulted in N45.61bn in uncollected bills. The month recorded better billing efficiency at 87.44 per cent and collection efficiency of 81.17 per cent.

In March 2026, billings totalled N246.43bn, but collections stood at N196.13bn, indicating N50.30bn in uncollected revenue.

Billing and collection efficiencies were 83.89 per cent and 79.59 per cent, respectively, in the third month.

The reports also show significant unbilled energy each month.

Eko DisCo and Ikeja DisCo consistently ranked among the stronger performers in revenue recovery, with Eko achieving over 100 per cent recovery efficiency in February.

In contrast, companies such as Kaduna and Jos DisCos continued to struggle with lower collection and recovery rates. For instance, in February, Kaduna DisCo recorded a recovery efficiency of just 41.20 per cent, one of the lowest in the period.

The NERC data, which tracks energy received, energy billed, total billings, revenue collected, and recovery efficiency, provides a clear picture of the commercial viability of the privatised distribution companies.

Power consumers have continued to express frustration over high tariffs amid frequent outages and perceived poor service delivery.  In the first quarter of the year, Nigerians endured a persistent power crisis due to gas constraints, causing generation to drop from around 4,000 megawatts to less than 2,000 MW at some points.

Stakeholders have repeatedly called for improved metering, tighter enforcement against energy theft, and better customer service to boost collection rates.

It was gathered that the ongoing challenges in the sector, including infrastructure deficits and liquidity issues, continue to affect the ability of DisCos to fully convert energy supplied into revenue.

During the quarter, the Nigerian Independent System Operator provided operational data illustrating the scale of the shortfall, noting that thermal power plants require an estimated 1,629.75 million standard cubic feet of gas per day to operate at optimal capacity, but as of February 23, 2026, actual supply stood at about 692.00 mmscf per day—representing less than 43 per cent of the required volume.

As gas supply declined in Q1, several power plants have shut down while the Transmission Company of Nigeria engaged in load shedding, rationing the limited energy available among the DisCos.

On their various platforms, the distribution companies have repeatedly appealed to customers, attributing the outages to gas shortages. However, some Nigerians have reported an improvement in power supplies in the past few weeks.

Sheuns:
Only in today’s Nigeria have I seen where were asked to pay more in order for a service provider to provide better services.

njokuuche77:
It's only in Nigeria that we pay for darkness

Brendaniel:
Well, here it is for those who still plan to support Tinubu in 2027

DiamondsAreFore:
https://punchng.com/discos-earn-n600bn-in-three-months-despite-blackouts/

nairalanda1:
Because your power companies are not allowed to make the kind of profits that would enable them to pay for improvements.

Even this 600 billion is scanty. lol.

nairalanda1:
Before anyone shouts,.the actual amount of money needed to improve power supply is....10 trillion or more annually for at least 5 years.

That 600.billion divided among nine companies is very scanty

njokuuche77:
You cannot ask a customer to pay for a product you did not deliver just so you can "improve" your business. If a restaurant serves you empty plates, do you pay them so they can buy better ingredients tomorrow? No. The report shows the power plants only got 43% of the gas they needed. Why should the common man pay 100% of the bill, and high tariffsfor 43% performance? Profit follows value, not darkness.

Eagleways:
you are impossible. Your type is the reason Nigeria will never be better. If being a beneficiary in this government is the reason of your mischievous supports for them, you must be disappointed. Ask Ned Nwoko and his likes

njokuuche77:
You cannot ask a customer to pay for a product you did not deliver just so you can "improve" your business. If a restaurant serves you empty plates, do you pay them so they can buy better ingredients tomorrow? No. The report shows the power plants only got 43% of the gas they needed. Why should the common man pay 100% of the bill, and high tariffsfor 43% performance? Profit follows value, not darkness.

nairalanda1:
And you cannot ask a company to charge for its services at a price below what it costs to provide those services. It will not be able to do so efficiently

Plus all of you paid for the poor GSM services in the early days of MTN and Econent when at one point you could not call between network. With high prices. It was because of that that the GSM were able to make enough profits to improve things. Same thing happening in the petroleum sector

Power sector has historically had most people underpaying for power and even now band A that pays full price are a minority. And at least 20% of customers do not pay

So what do you expect?

It's like expecting a 17 year old who has not eaten well in weeks and is malnourished to pass JAMB with a score of 400

usecondom:
Thieves thieves thieves thievesssssssssssss
I pour spits on all of them... Wicked people. Oleeeeee

nairalanda1:
And you cannot ask a company to charge for its services at a price below what it costs to provide those services. It will not be able to do so efficiently

Plus all of you paid for the poor GSM services in the early days of MTN and Econent when at one point you could not call between network. With high prices. It was because of that that the GSM were able to make enough profits to improve things. Same thing happening in the petroleum sector

Power sector has historically had most people underpaying for power and even now band A that pays full price are a minority. And at least 20% of customers do not pay

So what do you expect?

It's like expecting a 17 year old who has not eaten well in weeks and is malnourished to pass JAMB with a score of 400