Togo, Benin and Niger owed Nigeria $11.16 million for electricity supplied throughout 2025, the country’s power regulator disclosed this week.
The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission said the debt reflects a gap between $73.91 million invoiced and $62.75 million actually remitted last year.
The three foreign utilities were Niger’s NIGELEC, Benin’s SBEE and Togo’s CEET, which buy power directly from Nigerian generators under bilateral contracts.
Together, the neighbouring countries settled 84.90 per cent of their bills, leaving 15.10 per cent of cumulative invoices unpaid.
Domestic customers fared considerably better, remitting 96.60 per cent of the 13.20 trillion naira billed to them across the same period.
The shortfall lands as Nigeria’s power sector battles chronic liquidity strain, straining the cash lifelines generation companies depend on to operate.
NERC warned that strict payment discipline remains essential to keep generators financially sound and preserve fragile cross-border electricity trade.