The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) has disclosed that Togo, the Republic of Benin and the Niger Republic failed to fully settle their electricity bills for the first quarter of 2026, leaving an outstanding debt of $12.66 million.

According to the Commission’s First Quarter 2026 report, the three neighbouring countries were billed a total of $17.48 million for electricity supplied by Nigerian Generation Companies (GenCos) through the Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry (NESI). However, they remitted only $4.82 million, representing 27.57 per cent of the total invoice.

NERC stated that the payments were made by the three international bilateral customers receiving electricity from Nigerian power generation companies under existing supply agreements.

A breakdown of the payments showed that Société Béninoise d’Énergie Électrique (SBEE) of the Republic of Benin made the highest remittance, paying about $4.05 million for electricity supplied by Ughelli and Paras Energy.

The Société Nigérienne d’Électricité (NIGELEC) of the Niger Republic paid $1.87 million, while Compagnie Énergie Électrique du Togo (CEET) remitted $720,000.

The Commission also noted that during the first quarter of the year, both international and domestic bilateral customers made additional payments toward outstanding invoices from previous quarters, reflecting ongoing efforts to clear existing debts.

In contrast to the international customers, domestic bilateral customers recorded a significantly higher payment performance. NERC said they paid ₦5.82 billion out of the ₦6.12 billion billed for electricity supplied during the quarter, representing a remittance rate of 95 per cent.

The report further revealed that Ajaokuta Steel Company Limited and its host community failed to make any payment toward electricity invoices issued during the review period.

According to NERC, the special customer received invoices amounting to ₦676.88 million from the Nigerian Bulk Electricity Trading Plc (NBET) and ₦189.38 million from the Market Operator but did not make any payment.

The Commission described the non-payment as a longstanding issue and said it has continued to engage relevant Federal Government authorities to address the situation.

Meanwhile, electricity distribution companies (DisCos) collected ₦597.56 billion from customers during the first quarter of 2026 out of a total billing of ₦756.93 billion, resulting in a collection efficiency of 78.95 per cent.

This represents a slight decline compared to the previous quarter, when the DisCos recorded a collection efficiency of 79.36 per cent, indicating a marginal drop in revenue collection performance.

NERC also disclosed that the Federal Government continued to shoulder a substantial electricity subsidy burden due to the absence of fully cost-reflective tariffs across the distribution companies.

The report stated that the government’s subsidy obligation for the quarter stood at ₦358.32 billion, representing a reduction from the ₦418.79 billion recorded in the previous quarter.

According to the Commission, the decrease in subsidy payments was largely driven by lower electricity offtake by distribution companies during the period under review.

NERC reiterated the need for improved market discipline, timely settlement of electricity invoices and enhanced revenue collection across the power sector to strengthen the financial sustainability of Nigeria’s electricity market.