Togo, Benin, Niger Owe Nigeria $12.66m for Electricity Supplied in Three Months – NERC

• The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) says Togo, Benin Republic and Niger Republic paid only $4.82 million out of a $17.48 million electricity bill in the first quarter of 2026, leaving an outstanding debt of $12.66 million.

The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) has disclosed that three neighbouring countries—Togo, the Republic of Benin and Niger Republic—failed to pay a combined $12.66 million for electricity supplied by Nigerian Generation Companies (GenCos) during the first quarter of 2026.

According to NERC’s 2026 First Quarter Report, the countries were billed a total of $17.48 million for electricity supplied through bilateral agreements but remitted only $4.82 million, representing a payment performance of 27.57 per cent.

The commission stated that the three international customers made payments through the Market Operator (MO), while domestic bilateral customers recorded significantly better compliance by paying ₦5.82 billion out of ₦6.12 billion billed during the same period, representing a 95 per cent remittance rate.

Breaking down the international payments, NERC said Société Béninoise d’Energie Electrique (SBEE) of Benin Republic paid $4.05 million, covering electricity supplied by Ughelli and Paras power plants.

Niger Republic’s electricity company, Société Nigérienne d’Electricité (NIGELEC), remitted $1.87 million, while Compagnie Energie Electrique du Togo (CEET) paid $720,000.

The commission also revealed that during the quarter, both international and domestic bilateral customers settled part of their outstanding debts from previous billing cycles, with international customers paying $6.64 million and domestic customers remitting ₦2.59 billion.

Meanwhile, NERC noted that Ajaokuta Steel Company Limited and its host community failed to make any payment on invoices totalling ₦866.26 million issued during the quarter. The regulator described the non-payment as a longstanding issue and said it has referred the matter to the Federal Government for intervention.

The report further showed that electricity distribution companies (DisCos) collected ₦597.56 billion out of the ₦756.93 billion billed to customers during the first quarter, resulting in a collection efficiency of 78.95 per cent, slightly lower than the 79.36 per cent recorded in the previous quarter.

On electricity subsidies, NERC disclosed that the Federal Government incurred a ₦358.32 billion subsidy obligation due to non-cost-reflective tariffs across the country’s distribution companies. Although still substantial, the figure represents a ₦60.46 billion reduction compared to the ₦418.79 billion subsidy recorded in the fourth quarter of 2025.

According to the commission, the decline in subsidy payments was largely driven by lower electricity offtake by distribution companies during the period.