Electricity consumers filed 708,677 complaints with distribution companies (DisCos) in 2025, according to data compiled from Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) quarterly reports. The number of complaints declined sharply across the year, from 254,404 in the first quarter to 58,973 in the fourth, a 63.05 per cent drop. This decline coincided with the transfer of regulatory oversight from NERC to state electricity commissions, which excluded complaint data from 15 states by year-end, including Lagos, Ogun, and Enugu.
Metering issues were the leading cause of complaints throughout 2025, accounting for between 42.84 per cent and 47.69 per cent each quarter. Billing disputes followed, rising from 12.27 per cent in Q1 to 20.93 per cent in Q3 before falling to 14.14 per cent in Q4. Service interruptions also remained persistent, making up at least 7.66 per cent of complaints each quarter. Together, these three issues represented over 60 per cent of all complaints in every quarter.
Port Harcourt DisCo recorded the highest number of complaints in the first two quarters, with 57,843 in Q1 and 44,012 in Q2. Ibadan DisCo led in Q3 with 40,520 complaints, while Kano DisCo topped Q4 with 21,546, or 36.53 per cent of that quarter's total. Yola DisCo consistently recorded the fewest complaints, ranging from 2,101 to 2,603 across the four quarters. Despite the downward trend in reported figures, metering deficiencies, disputed bills, and power outages remained the most pressing challenges for consumers throughout the year.
The sharp drop in reported complaints coincides with fewer states under NERC's reporting scope, raising questions about whether service improved or simply fell outside federal monitoring. Consumers in Port Harcourt, Ibadan, and Kano faced the most persistent issues, yet their data was later excluded from national tallies as oversight shifted to state regulators.
Editorial note: AI-assisted opinion, not established fact. Full disclaimer →
