The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) has ordered electricity distribution companies (DisCos) to refund N20.33 billion being their indebtedness to customers who procured meters under the Meter Asset Provider (MAP) scheme.
Under the MAP framework, customers who paid upfront for meters are entitled to reimbursement over time and data from the regulatory commission showed that as of December 31, 2025, the DisCos were yet to offset N20.33 billion owed the affected customers,
The commission, in its latest directive ordered the DisCos to complete the reimbursement within 12 months, effective from March 1, 2026, and that the refunds were to be made through equal monthly energy credits applied directly to affected customers’ electricity accounts.
Based on the MAP framework, NERC ordered that all reimbursements be automated once a MAP meter is activated and stressed that the credits must not be used to offset existing electricity debts.
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According to the conditions set by the commission for the payment of the refund to the customers, for prepaid customers, the refunds will be reflected in monthly energy tokens, while post-paid customers will have the reimbursement as a separate credit line item on their bills.
To enable it monitor the level of compliance with the latest directive, the power sector regulatory commission mandated the DisCos to submit monthly progress reports and establish dedicated channels for customer complaints regarding delayed refunds.
Industry experts believe that the order by the NERC to the DisCos will help in improving transparency in the metering system and restoring consumer confidence in the electricity industry.
