The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) says electricity distribution companies received over 254,404 customer complaints in the first quarter of 2025.
In its Q1 2025 report, covering January to March, NERC said complaints were mainly driven by faulty metering, erratic service, and inaccurate billing. This marks a 7.72 percent drop from the 275,681 complaints recorded in the previous quarter.
The top three issues reported were metering (42.84 percent), billing (12.27 percent), and service interruption (7.66 percent), together accounting for over 62 percent of all complaints.
Port Harcourt DisCo recorded the highest number of complaints at 57,843 (22.74 percent of the national total), while Yola DisCo had the fewest with 2,495. Other major complaint figures included Eko (36,780), Ibadan (42,393), and Ikeja (25,555). Abuja DisCo saw the sharpest decline, from 23,963 complaints in Q4 2024 to 6,225 in Q1 2025—a 74 percent drop.
While six DisCos saw reductions in complaints—led by Abuja, Benin (-30.17 percent), and Jos (-29.16 percent)—others recorded increases. Kano DisCo’s complaints surged by 86 percent (from 17,328 to 32,251), followed by Kaduna (+37.33 percent), Yola (+30.15 percent), Aba Power (+17.16 percent), Ikeja (+9.98 percent), and Port Harcourt (+5.78 percent).
Kano DisCo reported 25,988 metering-related complaints, second only to Eko DisCo’s 17,972. Port Harcourt topped the billing complaints chart with 5,260 cases and also led in the “Others” category with 28,959. Ibadan DisCo faced 3,200 metering complaints and 25,940 in “Others.”
Other complaint categories included voltage issues (3,900 cases), load shedding (202), disconnections (1,417), and delays (736).
At the NERC central complaints unit (CCU), an additional 4,169 complaints were received directly, dominated by billing, metering, and service interruption. Port Harcourt and Ikeja DisCos recorded the highest number of billing-related complaints at the CCU, with 91 and 283, respectively, followed by Abuja with 194.
Notably, billing-related complaints in Q1 2025 led to customer refunds totalling N32.2 billion, credited back to consumers’ accounts after verification.
NERC said the refunds underscore its commitment to consumer protection and accountability in the power sector, adding that it plans to strengthen enforcement and customer service protocols across all 11 DisCos to reduce recurring complaints.
