Amid erratic service supply to customers nationwide, the country’s electricity distribution companies (DisCos) have reported the second-highest quarterly revenue collection over the past five quarters, in the first quarter of 2026.

According to data from the sector’s regulator, the revenue boost is largely driven by the recovery of N597.56 billion from electricity bills issued to customers in the first quarter of 2026, despite reporting a 0.41 per cent decline in collection efficiency.

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The figures are contained in the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) First Quarter 2026 Report, which showed that DisCos collected 78.95 per cent of the N756.93 billion billed to customers during the period.

Although collections declined from the record N630.93 billion posted in the fourth quarter of 2025, the industry still outperformed the first three quarters of last year. However, about N159.37 billion in electricity bills remained unpaid during the period.

The quarter was also marked by operational disruptions, with Nigeria’s national grid suffering two total system collapses. The first occurred on January 23, cutting electricity supply to all 11 DisCos, while a second collapse followed on January 27 after multiple 330kV transmission lines tripped simultaneously.

NERC reported that the industry’s collection efficiency declined marginally by 0.41 percentage points from 79.36 per cent recorded in the fourth quarter of 2025.

“The total revenue collected by all DisCos in 2026/Q1 was N597.56 billion out of the N756.93 billion that was billed to customers,” NERC stated.

Ikeja DisCo recorded the highest collection efficiency at 90.00 per cent, followed by Eko (89.64 per cent), Benin (85.16 per cent), Port Harcourt (81.22 per cent) and Abuja (80.90 per cent).

Kaduna DisCo posted the lowest collection efficiency at 45.81 per cent.

However, the Jos, Kaduna, Kano, Port Harcourt and Benin DisCos improved their collection efficiency compared with the previous quarter, while Enugu DisCo recorded the sharpest decline of 6.28 percentage points.

The regulator noted that despite the slight decline in efficiency, Q1 2026 still delivered one of the strongest quarterly revenue performances in recent years.

NERC also observed only marginal changes in energy accounting efficiency during the quarter, noting an inverse relationship between energy offtake and collection performance.

According to the commission, when DisCos receive higher volumes of electricity, the additional supply is often allocated to areas where energy accounting and revenue collection have historically been weaker, reducing overall collection efficiency.