Prepaid customers will receive two tokens monthly and postpaid customers will see two reimbursement entries on their bills during the 12-month recovery period...

The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) has ordered electricity distribution companies (DisCos) to refund 20.33 billion naira in outstanding meter costs to customers under a revised directive issued on Feb. 27.

The order, No. NERC/2026/025, amends a 2023 directive and mandates distribution companies (DisCos) to recover and fully disburse the funds to affected customers over 12 months beginning March 1, 2026.

The regulator said DisCos had failed to reimburse customers who procured meters under the Meter Asset Provider (MAP) scheme, leaving an outstanding balance of 20.33 billion naira as of Dec. 31, 2025.

Under the MAP framework, customers pay upfront for electricity meters and are refunded through energy credits spread over an approved amortisation period.

In the new directive, NERC said all reimbursements must be automated on customer accounts. It directed DisCos to recognise the total cost of a MAP meter as credit upon activation and disburse it automatically as monthly credits over the approved period.

The regulator said reimbursement credits must not be offset against customers’ legacy debts and should be treated separately.

For prepaid customers, DisCos are required to automatically generate monthly tokens equivalent to the reimbursement value, while postpaid customers must see the refund reflected as a distinct credit line item on their monthly bills.

NERC also mandated DisCos to submit monthly compliance reports detailing reimbursements and to establish dedicated email channels for complaints from affected customers.

The commission said the order aims to prevent further delays, improve transparency and strengthen confidence in the electricity market.