NIGERIA’S POWER CRISIS: TIME TO MOVE BEYOND PROMISES

Nigeria’s persistent electricity crisis has become one of the greatest obstacles to the country’s economic development, industrial growth and social advancement. For decades, successive administrations have made promises, announced reforms and committed enormous public resources to the power sector, yet millions of Nigerians continue to live and operate businesses under an unreliable electricity supply. During the 2023 presidential campaign, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu made a strong commitment to Nigerians that his administration would deliver stable electricity. Indeed, he challenged Nigerians not to re-elect him if he failed to fulfil that promise, unless he could offer convincing reasons for his failure. That commitment must now be measured against the realities confronting households, businesses and industries across the country.

It is therefore difficult to understand how a country as richly endowed as Nigeria, with abundant natural gas, water resources and other energy potentials, continues to struggle with such an embarrassing electricity deficit. More disturbing is the revelation that over 300 containers of electricity equipment, including high-capacity transformers, cables and switchgear, remained stranded at Nigerian ports for between 14 and 20 years. These were not ordinary commercial goods but critical infrastructure procured to strengthen the country’s electricity transmission network. While Nigerians endured years of darkness, equipment that could have contributed to improving electricity delivery was left to deteriorate at the ports because of unresolved administrative bottlenecks, unpaid charges and bureaucratic failures. This is an indictment of institutional negligence, poor coordination and a disturbing lack of accountability in public administration.

President Tinubu deserves acknowledgement for directing the relevant authorities to work with the Nigeria Customs Service, the Nigerian Ports Authority and other agencies to facilitate the immediate clearance of the stranded equipment. The commencement of the evacuation exercise, including the release of the first 98 containers, is a welcome development. However, the bigger question is why it took presidential intervention for government agencies to perform what should have been their basic responsibilities. Who authorised the procurement? Which agencies were responsible for clearing the equipment? Why were the outstanding charges not resolved years earlier? Were contractors paid for projects that were never completed? Nigerians deserve answers, and those responsible for the prolonged abandonment must be investigated and held accountable. It is equally important that the equipment undergoes proper technical inspection before deployment, since materials left unused for two decades cannot automatically be assumed to be fit for purpose.

Another troubling aspect of Nigeria’s electricity challenge is the enormous public expenditure committed to the sector without a corresponding improvement in the quality and reliability of supply. Governments have repeatedly announced billions and trillions of naira in interventions, bailouts, subsidies, infrastructure projects and debt settlements. Yet the national grid continues to experience instability, generation remains inadequate, transmission infrastructure is constrained, and distribution to consumers is often unreliable. A country cannot continue to spend such enormous sums without establishing measurable outcomes. Every intervention must have clearly defined objectives, implementation timelines, independent monitoring and publicly accessible reports showing what has been achieved. Nigerians should no longer be expected to accept expenditure announcements as evidence of progress.

The privatisation of the power sector in 2013 was presented as a major turning point that would introduce efficiency, private investment and improved service delivery. Unfortunately, more than a decade later, the performance of several electricity distribution companies, popularly known as DisCos, has continued to attract widespread criticism. Consumers complain about poor supply, arbitrary estimated billing, inadequate metering, weak customer service and the inability of distribution infrastructure to deliver available electricity effectively. Although the challenges of the sector cannot be blamed entirely on the DisCos, their performance raises serious questions about whether the objectives of privatisation have been achieved. Private ownership should translate into improved efficiency and accountability, not merely the collection of electricity bills from consumers who are frequently denied reliable service. The Federal Government and regulatory authorities must be prepared to enforce performance obligations, review concession arrangements where necessary and ensure that operators who consistently fail to meet their responsibilities face appropriate consequences.

The economic consequences of this persistent crisis are enormous. Thousands of small and medium-sized businesses have either folded or struggled to survive because of the high cost of alternative electricity sources. Manufacturing industries that should be producing locally have, in many cases, reduced operations, shut down production lines or resorted to importing finished products because local production has become increasingly expensive and uncompetitive. Manufacturers are forced to spend scarce resources on diesel generators, petrol, gas and alternative energy systems, costs that are eventually transferred to consumers through higher prices. The consequences extend beyond the factory floor: businesses lose competitiveness, investors become discouraged, workers lose their jobs and unemployment deepens. Nigeria cannot seriously pursue economic diversification, industrialisation and poverty reduction while treating reliable electricity as a luxury rather than a fundamental requirement for economic growth.

To move forward, the Federal Government must adopt a comprehensive approach that addresses generation, transmission and distribution simultaneously. Investment in the national grid must be accelerated, with particular attention to modernising transmission lines, substations and ageing infrastructure. The stranded equipment must be cleared, tested and deployed to priority projects without further bureaucratic delays. Equally important is the need to diversify electricity generation by fully exploiting Nigeria’s natural gas resources, expanding hydroelectric capacity and encouraging solar, wind and other renewable energy sources. The Electricity Act 2023 also provides opportunities for states to develop independent electricity markets. State governments should take advantage of this framework by attracting credible investors, developing local power projects and supporting decentralised electricity solutions for communities and industrial clusters.

Furthermore, the government must reform the regulatory and commercial structure of the electricity market to ensure that every participant is accountable. DisCos must be compelled to improve metering, reduce technical and commercial losses, upgrade distribution networks and provide transparent billing. The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission and relevant state regulators must strengthen consumer protection and enforce service standards. There must also be greater transparency in the management of public funds committed to the sector, alongside independent audits of major projects and strict sanctions for abandoned projects, inflated contracts and procurement irregularities. Government should encourage public-private partnerships, but such partnerships must be based on clear performance targets rather than political patronage. A reliable electricity market also requires cost-reflective but fair tariffs, protection for vulnerable consumers and a sustainable framework for settling legitimate debts across the value chain.

Ultimately, Nigeria’s electricity crisis requires more than presidential directives, political speeches and occasional emergency interventions. It requires political will, competent leadership, institutional discipline and sustained implementation. President Tinubu’s intervention in the clearance of the stranded power equipment is a welcome step, but it must not become another isolated achievement celebrated while the wider electricity problem remains unresolved. Nigerians are not asking for miracles; they are demanding a functional system that allows homes to enjoy dependable electricity, businesses to operate without crippling energy costs and industries to produce competitively. The President made a promise during the 2023 campaign, and the responsibility now rests on his administration to demonstrate tangible progress before the end of its tenure. The time has come for Nigeria to stop normalising darkness and start treating electricity as an urgent national development priority.

Tochukwu Jimo Obi, Obosi, Anambra State