The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) has revealed that neighboring countries Togo, Niger, and Benin owe Nigeria a total of $17.8 million for electricity supplied through bilateral agreements.
In its report for the third quarter of 2025, NERC stated that the three nations paid only $7.12 million of the $18.69 million invoiced for that period, leaving a shortfall of over $11.5 million.
This payment represents a remittance performance of just 38 percent. The total outstanding debt climbs to nearly $18 million when including unpaid balances from previous quarters.
The international customers involved are Compagnie Énergie Électrique du Togo, Société Béninoise d’Énergie Électrique of Benin, and Société Nigérienne d’Électricité of Niger.
In stark contrast, domestic bilateral customers demonstrated a much higher payment rate of 87.61 percent during the same quarter.
The commission also noted the persistent non-payment by a domestic special customer, Ajaokuta Steel Co. Ltd, an issue it has escalated to federal authorities for intervention.
