…Says 85.2% of households still on estimated billing
A new report by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), has revealed that the average Nigerian household gets less than seven hours (6.6 hours) per day of electricity.
The NBS, which disclosed this in its report, titled: “Nigeria Residential Energy Demand-side Survey Report 2024”, published on its website, 85.2% of Nigerian households still rely on the estimated billing model for electricity tariffs.
According to the report, only 14.8% of households use the prepaid billing system during the period under review.
The survey, which focuses on nine states across the six geopolitical zones – North-West, North-East, and North-Central, South-West, South-East, South-South – further indicates that households receive an average of 6.6 hours of electricity per day.
This is significantly lower than the 20-hour target for Band-A customers, who, according to regulators, account for 15% of electricity consumers.
The report examines various states across Nigeria, including Oyo in the South-West; Enugu, in the South-East, Bauchi – North-East; Kwara – North-Central, Akwa-Ibom – South-South, and Sokoto in the North-West region, among others.
The report also provides insights into the average electricity expenses incurred by households across the country. On average, a household spends an estimated N4,155.8 per month on electricity.
Recall that earlier in 2024, the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) instructed the 11 electricity distribution companies (DisCos) to set aside N275 billion for meter procurement from 2024 to 2027.
The Minister of Power, Bayo Adelabu, estimates that between 7 to 8 million customers nationwide remain unmetered.
