Nigerians spent N208.15 billion on power bills in May, according to NERC figures.

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By Obas Esiedesa, Abuja

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Electricity consumers across Nigeria paid a total of N208.15 billion for power supplied in May 2026, as electricity distribution companies (DisCos) improved their revenue collection efficiency despite a decline in billing efficiency.

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This is contained in the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC), Commercial Performance Factsheet for May 2026 which also showed that the DisCos received electricity worth N328.95 billion during the month, representing an 8.58 per cent increase from April.

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Of this, electricity valued at N252.87 billion was billed to customers, translating to a billing efficiency of 76.87 per cent, down 6.45 percentage points from the previous month.

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The report, however, indicated an improvement in revenue collection, with the industry recording a collection efficiency of 82.32 per cent, up 1.66 percentage points from April.

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The improvement enabled the 11 electricity distribution companies to collect N208.15 billion from customers during the month, a 2.23 per cent increase over the previous month’s collections.

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NERC also reported that the industry’s revenue recovery efficiency stood at 77.31 per cent in May, reflecting the proportion of the allowable revenue recovered by the DisCos.

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The average allowed tariff for the month was N124.39/kWh, while the actual average collection was N96.16/kWh, indicating a 5.85 per cent decline in average revenue collected per kilowatt-hour.

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Among the distribution companies, Ikeja Electric emerged as the best performer in revenue recovery with 94.63 per cent, followed by Eko DisCo with 91.54 per cent and Abuja DisCo with 84.84 per cent.

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Port Harcourt DisCo posted a recovery efficiency of 81.46 per cent, while Benin, Enugu, Ibadan and Yola recorded recovery rates ranging between 66.35 per cent and 76.19 per cent.

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The weakest performers were Kaduna DisCo, which recorded a recovery efficiency of 39.75 per cent, Jos DisCo with 45.38 per cent, and Kano DisCo at 49.80 per cent, underscoring persistent challenges in revenue recovery in parts of the Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry.

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