The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) has reported that electricity distribution companies (DisCos) received a total of 254,404 customer complaints in the first quarter of 2025.
The majority of these grievances stemmed from issues related to faulty metering, inconsistent service, and inaccurate billing.
According to NERC’s newly released quarterly report, the number of complaints filed between January and March 2025 represented a 7.72% decrease from the 275,681 complaints recorded in the final quarter of 2024.
“The total number of complaints received in 2025/Q1 was 254,404 across all DisCos; this represents a 7.72 per cent decrease compared to the 275,681 received in 2024/Q4,” the report stated.
The report showed that the top three complaint categories were metering (42.84%), billing (12.27%), and service interruptions (7.66%), which together made up 62.77% of all complaints in the quarter.
Port Harcourt DisCo emerged as the most complained-about distributor, logging 57,843 cases — 22.74% of the national total. On the opposite end, Yola DisCo received the fewest complaints at 2,495, or 0.98% of the total.
“Port Harcourt DisCo received the highest number of complaints (57,843), representing 22.74 per cent of total complaints received. Yola DisCo received the least number of complaints (2,495), representing 0.98 per cent of total complaints received,” the commission stated.
Other high-volume complaint DisCos included Ibadan (42,393), Eko (36,780), and Ikeja (25,555). Notably, Abuja DisCo, which had 23,963 complaints in Q4 2024, saw a dramatic drop to 6,225 in Q1 2025 — a 74.02% decline, the steepest across all DisCos.
“Six DisCos recorded declines in the number of customer complaints received in 2025/Q1 compared to 2024/Q4. Abuja (-74.02 per cent), Benin (-30.17 per cent), and Jos (-29.16 per cent) DisCos recorded the most reductions. Kano (+86.12 per cent), Kaduna (+37.33 per cent), Yola (+30.15 per cent), Aba Power (+17.16 per cent), Ikeja (+9.98 per cent) and Port Harcourt (+5.78 per cent) DisCos, on the other hand, recorded increases in the number of customer complaints received between 2024/Q4 and 2025/Q1,” the report added.
Among the most pressing concerns was metering, with Kano DisCo alone receiving 25,988 metering-related complaints — second only to Eko DisCo’s 17,972 cases. Eko also recorded 4,497 service interruption complaints and 11,562 in the “Others” category.
Port Harcourt DisCo led billing-related complaints with 5,260 cases and also topped the “Others” category with 28,959 complaints. Ibadan DisCo received 3,200 metering-related cases and a high volume of unspecified issues categorized under “Others” at 25,940.
Other less prominent complaint categories included voltage issues (3,900), load shedding (202), disconnections (1,417), and delays (736).
NERC’s report highlighted that complaints in the billing category resulted in customer refunds totalling ₦32.2 billion during the quarter. These amounts were credited after verification of overbilling claims.
The central complaints unit (CCU) of the commission received an additional 4,169 complaints directly, with billing, metering, and service interruptions remaining the most reported issues. At the CCU level, Port Harcourt and Ikeja DisCos recorded the highest number of billing complaints, with 91 and 283, respectively, followed by Abuja with 194.
While commenting on the development, NERC said, “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.”
The regulator reiterated its plans to improve complaint resolution processes and strengthen oversight of all 11 DisCos.
“The most common issues among the 254,404 complaints received by DisCos in 2025/Q1 were metering (42.84 per cent), billing (12.27 per cent) and service interruption (7.66 per cent). These three (3) categories cumulatively accounted for 62.77 per cent of the total complaints in the quarter,” the report further noted.
Despite these challenges, the DisCos collectively generated ₦553.63 billion in revenue during Q1 2025 — a significant jump amid persistent consumer dissatisfaction with unreliable power supply, billing discrepancies, and grid instability.
As power supply issues persist nationwide, energy experts emphasize that timely resolution of customer complaints will be crucial in rebuilding trust and improving service delivery across Nigeria’s electricity sector.
