By Sunday Michael Ogwu
Customer complaints lodged with electricity distribution companies (DisCos) across Nigeria have fallen by 22.7% over a three-quarter period—from Q2 2024 to Q1 2025—even as persistent issues around metering, billing, and service interruptions remain dominant concerns among consumers.
An analysis of official complaint data released by the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) for five quarters reveals that the total number of customer complaints fell from 287,441 in Q2 2024 to 254,404 in Q1 2025, marking a steady downward trend.
However, the decline in volume masks the persistence of structural issues, as metering alone accounted for more than 42% of all complaints in the most recent quarter.
Cumulative Complaint Trend: Q2 2024 to Q1 2025
Across the three quarters under review: Q2 2024 recorded 287,441 complaints; Q3 2024 saw 328,696 complaints – an increase of 14.4% from the previous quarter; Q4 2024 dropped to 275,681 complaints, reflecting a 16.13% decrease from Q3; Q1 2025 further declined to 254,404 complaints, showing a 7.72% fall from Q4
This brings the cumulative drop in customer complaints from the Q3 2024 peak to Q1 2025 to 22.6%.
The decline has been attributed to improved responsiveness by some DisCos and enhanced customer engagement strategies. Yet, certain regions are bucking the trend, recording sharp spikes in complaints.
Q1 2025: Port Harcourt Tops Complaint Chart
In Q1 2025, Port Harcourt DisCo received the highest number of complaints at 57,843, representing 22.74% of total complaints. Yola DisCo, in contrast, logged the lowest figure at 2,495 complaints (0.98%).
Six DisCos reported reduced complaints in Q1 2025 compared to the previous quarter, with Abuja DisCo leading the pack with a 74.02% drop, followed by Benin (-30.17%) and Jos (-29.16%).
However, others saw a surge in grievance reports: Kano DisCo recorded an 86.12% increase, Kaduna (+37.33%), Yola (+30.15%), Aba Power (+17.16%), Ikeja (+9.98%), and Port Harcourt (+5.78%).
The three leading causes of complaints were metering (42.84%), Billing (12.27%) and Service interruptions (7.66%)
These collectively accounted for 62.77% of all complaints in the quarter.
Q4 2024: Complaints Drop After Q3 Spike
In Q4 2024, total complaints dropped to 275,681, a 16.13% decrease from Q3 2024, which had recorded 328,696 complaints. Port Harcourt DisCo again topped the chart with 54,683 complaints (19.84%), while Yola DisCo had the fewest (1,917 complaints, or 0.69%).
DisCos that saw the most notable reductions in Q4 2024 include Kaduna (-43.71%), Kano (-37.01%), Eko (-26.28%), Yola (-25.78%), Enugu (-24.81%) and Abuja (-23.70%)
Only three DisCos recorded increases, namely Benin (+18.16%), Aba (+11.76%) and Ikeja (+1.15%)
Q2 2024: Metering and Billing Top Consumer Woes
In Q2 2024, DisCos recorded 287,441 complaints, down 1.35% from 291,380 in Q1 2024. Port Harcourt once again had the highest share, receiving 56,928 complaints (19.81%), while Yola logged the lowest (2,038 or 0.71%).
Significant quarterly increases in complaint volume were seen in Kano (+58.35%) and Aba (+28.58%)
Meanwhile, notable declines were reported by Enugu (-38.12%) and Yola (-26.82%)
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Metering (48.85%), billing (14.29%), and service interruptions (9.80%) were again the top three complaint types—together making up 72.95% of complaints.
Improvements Visible, But Long-Term Fixes Needed
While the downward trend in total complaints suggests that certain customer service improvements are taking root, the dominance of metering, billing, and service interruption issues across all quarters highlights systemic deficiencies that require regulatory and infrastructural reforms.
Electricity consumers continue to seek more responsive service delivery, clearer billing systems, and equitable metering, particularly in underserved areas.
With Port Harcourt consistently topping the complaint chart and Kano seeing recent surges, regional disparities also call for targeted interventions.
As Nigeria pushes toward power sector reform and consumer protection, consistent monitoring, timely resolution mechanisms, and transparent reporting will remain key to closing the gap between service providers and the public they serve.
FG to restructure two underperforming DisCos – Power Minister
The Minister of Power, Chief Adebayo Adelabu, recently disclosed that the Federal Government plans to restructure two underperforming electricity distribution companies under a pilot programme.
Chief Adelabu, who disclosed this during a meeting with the Japanese International Cooperation Agency (JICA) in Abuja, said the move follows a comprehensive assessment of systemic challenges plaguing the DisCos, including governance gaps, infrastructure deficits, and commercial inefficiencies.
A statement by the minister’s media aide, Bolaji Tunji, said the pilot stage will affect two DisCos located in the northern and southern parts of the country.
There are currently six DisCos in the south, namely Eko, Ikeja, Ibadan, Benin, Port Harcourt and Enugu. There are five in the north, namely Abuja, Jos, Kaduna, Kano and Yola.
Presently, the government has minority stakes (40 per cent) in the companies which were partially privatised in 2013.
Adelabu in the statement failed to name the two DisCos that would be affected in the restructuring and also failed to disclose how it would be carried out given that the companies are privately owned
Sunday Michael Ogwu is a Nigerian journalist and editor of Pinnacle Daily. He is known for his work in business and economic reporting. He has held editorial roles in prominent Nigerian media outlets, where he has focused on economic policy, financial markets, and developmental issues affecting Nigeria and Africa more broadly.