The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) has directed electricity distribution companies (DisCos) to refund a total of N20.33bn owed to customers who purchased meters under the Meter Asset Provider (MAP) scheme.
In Order No. NERC/2026/025, signed on February 27, 2026, by NERC Chairman Musiliu Oseni and Commissioner for Legal, Licensing & Compliance, Dafe Akpeneye, the commission said the outstanding amount must be fully reimbursed within 12 months starting March 1, 2026.
Under the MAP framework, customers pay upfront for meters and are refunded through energy credits over time. However, NERC observed that reimbursements have been slow, leaving N20.33bn unpaid as of December 31, 2025. Following a compliance review in February 2026, the commission amended its earlier 2023 directive to address the delays and restore confidence in the sector.
The new order mandates that meter cost reimbursements be fully automated. Once a MAP meter is activated, its total cost must be credited to the customer’s account and repaid through monthly energy credits over a 120-month amortisation period.
DisCos are prohibited from offsetting meter reimbursement credits against customers’ outstanding debts. For prepaid customers, billing systems must generate monthly tokens equivalent to the reimbursement amount by the fourth day of each month. Postpaid customers must see the reimbursement clearly listed as a separate credit line on their bills.
To clear the backlog, affected prepaid customers will receive 2 tokens monthly, while postpaid customers will have 2 reimbursement entries on their bills during the 12-month recovery period.
Additionally, NERC has ordered DisCos to submit monthly compliance reports detailing reimbursements and to create dedicated email channels for customers to lodge complaints. These complaints and their resolution status must be included in the monthly reports submitted to the commission.
