Nigeria received the equivalent of about N87.85 billion from international electricity customers in Niger, Togo and Benin in 2025, while domestic distribution companies collected N2.31 trillion from electricity consumers, according to data from the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission.
NERC’s 2025 Annual Report showed that the Market Operator issued invoices totaling $73.91 million to three international utilities.
The customers were Société Beninoise d’Energie Electrique in Benin, Compagnie Energie Electrique du Togo and Société Nigerienne d’électricité in Niger.
The utilities remitted $62.75 million, representing an overall payment performance of 84.90 per cent.
At an exchange rate of N1,400 to the dollar, the amount is approximately N87.85 billion.
Nigeria’s electricity exports to neighboring states are linked to regional power arrangements, cross-border energy cooperation and long standing geopolitical considerations involving the River Niger and the West African Power Pool.
The report also showed relatively strong payment performance among domestic bilateral customers operating within the Nigerian electricity market.
Those customers were billed N13.20 billion and paid N12.75 billion, equivalent to a 96.60 per cent remittance rate.
For retail electricity distribution, Discos billed end users N2.98 trillion and collected N2.31 trillion.
That produced an average national collection efficiency of 77.60 per cent and left approximately N669.49 billion unpaid.
Eko Electricity Distribution Company recorded one of the strongest collection performances, recovering N424 billion from N482.35 billion billed.
Ikeja Electric collected N440.86 billion from N501.61 billion, while Benin Disco recovered N202.68 billion at a collection efficiency above 84 per cent.
Kaduna and Jos Discos recorded significantly weaker collection performance.
At wholesale level, Nigerian Bulk Electricity Trading and the Market Operator issued gross invoices of about N1.721 trillion to the distribution companies for energy and market service obligations.
Discos remitted around N1.63 trillion, representing aggregate market remittance of 94.80 per cent.
Despite stronger revenues, structural losses remained high.
The electricity market recorded a weighted average Aggregate Technical, Commercial and Collection loss of 37.03 per cent in 2025.
That exceeded the Multi-Year Tariff Order target of 20.54 per cent by 16.49 percentage points.
The data underline the central financial challenge in the power sector: revenues are rising, but high technical losses, unbilled energy, theft, inaccurate metering and unpaid bills continue to weaken overall market viability.
