More than 250,000 Nigerians lodged formal complaints about electricity services in the first three months of 2025, with issues ranging from malfunctioning meters to inflated bills and persistent outages, according to the latest quarterly report from the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC).
The report, released this week, reveals that distribution companies (DisCos) received 254,404 complaints between January and March—marking a 7.7% drop from the 275,681 cases recorded in the last quarter of 2024. Yet the data paints a picture of a deeply troubled power sector, where grievances remain high despite regulatory promises of reform.
Metering issues once again topped the chart, accounting for 42.8% of all complaints. Billing problems (12.3%) and service interruptions (7.7%) followed closely, making up more than 60% of all customer feedback received during the quarter.
Port Harcourt Electricity Distribution Company recorded the highest number of complaints, with 57,843—more than one in five of all cases nationwide. At the other end of the spectrum, Yola DisCo logged just 2,495 complaints, the lowest among the 11 DisCos.
Abuja DisCo recorded the steepest decline in complaints, falling by a dramatic 74% to 6,225. Other DisCos that saw notable reductions included Benin (-30%) and Jos (-29%). In contrast, Kano DisCo reported an alarming 86% spike in complaints, jumping from 17,328 in Q4 2024 to 32,251 in Q1 2025. Kaduna, Yola, and Aba Power also recorded significant increases.
NERC’s central complaint unit received an additional 4,169 complaints, with billing, metering and service interruptions again dominating. In a revealing footnote, the regulator disclosed that over ₦32.2 billion was refunded to customers in the quarter following verified billing-related disputes.
“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,” NERC said.
Port Harcourt not only led in overall complaints but also topped the billing-related chart with 5,260 cases. The company also received nearly 29,000 complaints under the “Others” category—a catch-all term that hints at widespread service failures beyond traditional metrics.
Eko DisCo registered the highest number of metering complaints (17,972), followed by Kano (25,988), suggesting a chronic shortfall in accurate metering systems. Ibadan DisCo logged more than 25,000 complaints in the “Others” category, indicating unresolved or ambiguous issues that fall outside conventional tracking.
Other recurring problems included voltage fluctuations (3,900), disconnections (1,417), delays in service (736), and load shedding (202).
While complaints may have slightly decreased on the whole, the rise in reports from several key DisCos suggests that major systemic issues persist. Kano and Ikeja, for example, were among the top DisCos for billing complaints received at NERC’s central unit, alongside Abuja.
Despite these unresolved challenges, DisCos collectively raked in ₦553.63 billion in revenue in the first quarter of 2025. That figure has raised eyebrows, with many Nigerians questioning how such earnings are possible amid frequent blackouts, unstable grid performance, and ongoing consumer dissatisfaction.
NERC says it plans to enhance enforcement and improve customer service across the sector, promising quicker resolutions and tighter oversight of DisCos.
Yet with hundreds of thousands of complaints still pouring in and a power supply crisis far from solved, critics argue that the electricity sector remains a symbol of dysfunction—one where reform is more often promised than delivered.
