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THE WORSENING POWER CRISIS
More should be done to improve on transmission infrastructure
In a show of solidarity with residents, Edo State Governor Monday Okpebholo last week joined hundreds of protesters in Benin City over persistent blackouts and a capricious billing system. Likewise, many residents of Nasarawa State poured into the streets of the capital Lafia to protest the prevailing chronic erratic power supply. Their leader, Ibrahim Abdullahi Attama said the power crisis had reached a critical point, significantly impeding businesses, educational activities, healthcare services, and the overall quality of life for residents.
Unfortunately, the power affliction is widespread. Virtually all the states, including the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja are going through terrible times due to prolonged outages, at the peak of the dry season when temperatures are intense. Even the premium electricity consumers, grouped into the so-called Band A, are complaining aloud as they are getting far less than the expected 20 hours of daily supply. Apparently in response to the widespread complaints and frustrations, the Nigerian Independent System Operator (NISO) has said that electricity generation is seriously constrained by gas shortages to the thermal plants which account for the dominant share of Nigeria’s generation mix.
In the aftermath of the shortages, due largely to huge debts owed by generating companies, the national grid is generating barely 3,940.53 megawatts, prompting a number of generating units to shut down. For a country with over 200 trillion cubic feet of proven gas reserves, the available gas supply reportedly represents less than 43 per cent of the required volume, resulting in constrained generation output. The reduced generation has affected all parts of the country, forcing distribution companies to introduce load shedding to ration the limited electricity available.
As far back as 2012, power supply attained a peak of over 4,500MW, and indeed exceeded 5,000MW in February 2016. In 2026, it is still running in circles, performing below 5,000MW. It tells a compelling story that after billions of dollars have been consistently sunk into the sector since privatisation in 2013, the sordid power trajectory is not about to change. For more than a decade, the quantity of energy generated is stuck at between 4000 and 5000 megawatts for a country of more than 200 million people.
Thus the nation is still being regaled with stories of inadequate gas supply, low water level and “unwheeled” generated power due to outdated and overloaded transmission infrastructure. While installed generation capacity stands above 13,000 MW, barely 5,500 MW can be transmitted at the best of times. It is therefore little surprise that many Nigerians have lost count of cases of grid collapse over the years. In 2024 alone, the grid collapsed more than 10 times. In the first few weeks of 2026, the grid has suffered two collapses, plunging the entire country into darkness.
The Presidential Power Initiative (PPI) conceived in 2019 and designed to overhaul the country’s transmission and distribution backbone, is mired in bureaucratic bottlenecks and inter-agency rivalries. Within a month of assuming power, President Bola Tinubu had assented to the electricity bill which authorises states, companies and individuals to generate, transmit and distribute electricity. As a result, state governments have been issuing licenses to private investors to operate mini-grids and power plants. There have been other interventions to boost generation, transmission, and distribution. But the situation has not changed.
The adoption of renewable energy is commendable and will likely boost power supply, particularly for those who can raise the necessary capital. Indeed, the seat of power in Abuja is billed to exit the national grid soon. The pressure on the grid will lessen as more take to renewable energy. But more should be done to get the transmission lines working for the benefit of majority of electricity customers.
