Mirian Gom 
ABUJA, Nigeria – Nigeria reveals that Togo, Niger and Benin owe a combined $17.8 million, equivalent to over ₦25 billion, for electricity supplied under bilateral power agreements, according to the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC).
In its Third Quarter 2025 report, NERC states that the three countries are invoiced $18.69 million for electricity supplied during the quarter but remit only $7.125 million, leaving an unpaid balance of $11.56 million.
The regulator further discloses that the international customers also carry legacy debts amounting to $14.7 million, of which just $7.84 million is paid, resulting in an additional outstanding balance of $6.23 million.
Combined, the debts from previous quarters and Q3 2025 total $17.8 million, translating to ₦25.36 billion at an exchange rate of ₦1,425 to the dollar.
NERC identifies the debtors as Compagnie Énergie Électrique du Togo, Société Béninoise d’Énergie Électrique, and Société Nigérienne d’Électricité. “The three international bilateral customers being supplied by grid-connected GenCos made a payment of $7.12 million against a cumulative invoice of $18.69 million,” the commission states. “This translates to a remittance performance of 38.09 per cent.”
The electricity is generated by Nigerian generation companies and transmitted through cross-border bilateral arrangements.
In contrast, domestic bilateral customers demonstrate stronger payment discipline, remitting ₦3.19 billion out of the ₦3.64 billion invoiced during the same quarter, representing an 87.61 per cent remittance rate.
“It is noteworthy that some bilateral customers also made payments for outstanding invoices from previous quarters,” NERC adds, confirming additional receipts of $7.84 million from international customers and ₦1.3 billion from domestic counterparts.
The data renew concerns over the sustainability of Nigeria’s cross-border electricity trade amid rising revenue shortfalls.
About the Author
Edino Chubiyo Cornelius 
Oluwafunbi Bello 
Hussaini Ibrahim