Nigeria’s electricity distribution companies (DisCos) failed to collect N45.26 billion from customers out of the N250.79 billion they billed for electricity in July 2026.
The DisCos collected N205.53 billion during the month, representing an 81.95% collection efficiency and leaving 18.05% of their total billings unrecovered.
The figures are contained in the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission’s (NERC) July 2026 Factsheet, which provides data on the commercial performance of the country’s 11 electricity distribution companies.
The July figures also show a wider gap between the electricity supplied to DisCos, the amount billed to customers and the revenue ultimately collected. The data provides a breakdown of collection performance across the 11 DisCos and shows significant differences between the companies.
DisCos received electricity worth N333.94 billion during the month and billed customers N250.79 billion for the electricity supplied, translating to a 75.10% billing efficiency. Of the amount billed, the companies collected N205.53 billion, leaving a N45.26 billion gap between electricity billings and actual collections.
Beyond collections, the sector’s revenue recovery efficiency stood at 74.91% in July. DisCos had an allowed average tariff of N130.15 per kilowatt-hour, compared with an actual average collection of N97.50 per kilowatt-hour.
Nigeria’s DisCos collected N597.56 billion from N756.93 billion billed in the first quarter of 2026, making it the second-highest quarterly collection recorded over the five-quarter period from Q1 2025 to Q1 2026. Their collection efficiency stood at 78.95% during the quarter.
The quarterly figures show that DisCos have consistently recorded sizeable gaps between electricity billings and collections.
The July figure therefore continues a broader pattern in which DisCos recover a substantial portion of electricity billings but still leave a significant amount uncollected.
The collection gap comes as Nigeria’s electricity market continues to face pressure from the difference between the cost of supplying power and the revenue ultimately recovered from customers.
The July data shows that while DisCos collected more than four-fifths of their billings during the month, N45.26 billion remained unrecovered, highlighting the continuing gap between electricity supplied to consumers, bills issued and revenue ultimately collected.
