By Yunusa Abubakar, Christiana Ekpa, Abuja; Femi oyelola, Kaduna, Godwin Agia, Jalingo and Michael Ovat, Awka
Two weeks after the Minister of Power, Mr Adebayo Adelabu, assured Nigerians of possible relief from persistent outages, findings across the country indicate that for many households and businesses, the situation has remained largely unchanged.
The development comes even amid the recent announcement by President Bola Tinubu approving N3.3 trillion for the settlement of outstanding debts in the nation’s power sector—an intervention that has continued to draw mixed reactions from stakeholders.
While some industry experts take the government’s position at face value, others have raised doubts, describing the announcement as part of a recurring narrative that has yet to translate into tangible improvement for electricity consumers.
Adelabu had, on March 24, while addressing journalists in Abuja, apologised to Nigerians over the spate of blackouts nationwide, admitting that the outages had worsened living conditions, particularly under the current intense heat conditions.
He acknowledged the pressure on homes, schools, and industries, attributing the situation largely to gas supply constraints and technical challenges beyond the immediate control of the government.
“I want to apologise to Nigerians… for this temporary issue that is leading to hardship being experienced,” the Minister had said, assuring that “two weeks from now, we should start seeing improvements in supply.”
That deadline has since elapsed but electricity supply seems to be worsening across the country.
Despite earlier claims by the ministry of achieving a peak generation evacuation of 5,801.84 megawatts and a daily maximum energy output of 128,370.75 megawatt-hours, current data from the Nigerian Independent System Operator shows that electricity supply hovers around 3,331MW—grossly inadequate for a country of over 200 million people.
The figure is barely sufficient to power a city the size of Lagos, underscoring the depth of Nigeria’s electricity shortfall, according to experts.
Recall that when Adelabu assumed office in August 2023, he had pledged that the country would attain 6,000 megawatts of generation before the end of that year. However, like previous assurances, the target remains unmet, reinforcing long-standing scepticism among Nigerians over reforms in the sector.
Voices from the ground
Across communities, however, frustration continues to mount as consumers grapple with erratic and unreliable electricity supply.
In Karu, Abuja, residents lamented prolonged outages punctuated by brief and inconsistent power restoration.
In a chat with Peoples Daily on Sunday, Alhaji Musa Muhammed described the situation as worsening, questioning why areas such as Karu, Nyanya, and neighbouring Mararaba in Nasarawa State had continued to experience endless darkness.
“The heat is sickening. This constant power outage is messing up the quality of life of your customers. Do you care? Please give us light,” he said, directing his frustration at both the Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC) and the Minister of Power.
He further decried the erratic nature of supply, noting that entire days often pass without electricity, followed by only short periods of restoration.
“Since last night, no light… we’ve had only an hour of light. Are we getting what we’re paying for?” he queried.
In areas such as Jikwoyi Phase 1, communities around CBN Junction, residents said they are being plunged into darkness for more than 24 hours at a stretch under the prevailing rationing system, popularly described as “one day on, two days off.”
The situation has disrupted both domestic and commercial activities across the axis as the prolonged power cuts have hit traders hardest, especially those dealing in perishable goods such as frozen fish and chicken.
Many business owners say they have suffered significant financial losses due to spoilage and inability to preserve goods.
Residents also lamented the impact on households, with many reporting the loss of stored food items and unbearable living conditions amid rising temperatures.
Some families further raised concerns about the health effects on children, including heat-related rashes and general discomfort caused by prolonged nights without electricity.
Community members said repeated appeals to the Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC) to address faulty transformers and improve supply stability have yielded little or no response, while also alleging uneven power distribution across communities.
In Lokoja, Kogi State, Josephine Audu told Peoples Daily that parts of the town, particularly Ganaja village, had been in near-total blackout for days.
“For the past seven days, no light,” she said.
Similarly, in Nasarawa State, Yuhana Micheal said outages had stretched for days following the rainfall.
“This is the fifth day we haven’t seen electricity since rain fell,” he noted.
Another resident, Seidu Musa from Mararaba, linked outages to weather conditions, stating that power supply often disappears for up to 24 hours after rainfall, pointing to fragile infrastructure
Our Corresppndents In Kaduna reports that residents of Kaduna city have shared mixed feedback on the current state of electricity supply.
Alhaji Kabir Adamu, a tailor in Ungwan Rimi, said power supply has been relatively stable in his area over the past two weeks. “We now get light for up to 10 hours a day, sometimes at night. It has helped me meet my customers’ deadlines without relying too much on my generator,” he said. Musa added that the steady supply has lowered his fuel expenses.
However, Mrs. Lydia Akut, a frozen food vendor in Narayi, reported a different experience. “In my street, we barely get four hours of light daily. I lose stock almost every week because my freezers do not run long enough,” she explained.
Akut called on Kaduna Electric to address what she described as uneven distribution across neighborhoods.
For Mr. Daniel Moses, who operates a computer business center within the NUJ Secretariat, the issue isn’t just about the duration but also the timing.
“They mostly bring light when people are at work or asleep. During business hours, we are often in the dark. We need a schedule we can plan around,” he said. Moses also noted that the cost of running generators continues to cut into his profits.
Mrs. Hajara Inuwa, a resident of Malali, acknowledged some improvement but said billing remains a major concern.
“The light has improved slightly since last month, but our estimated bills are still very high. We are paying for power we did not use,” she said.
Inuwa urged the distribution company to speed up metering in her area to ensure fair charges.
Another resident, Mustapha Suleiman, a barber in Kawo, said the situation has improved compared to earlier in the year.
“Before, we could stay three days without light. Now, even if it’s not daily, we see it more often. If they can keep it up and make it stable, it will help small businesses like mine,” he said.
The residents called on Kaduna Electric and relevant authorities to ensure fair distribution, improve communication about outages, and speed up metering to restore confidence in the power system across the city.
From Jalingo, Taraba State, our Correspondent reports that residents in Taraba State have lamented the erratic power supply, says frequent power outages is crippling businesses and daily life.
Mr. Ephraim Danjuma expressed frustration with the situation, and called on federal government to as a matter of urgency address the issue by prioritizing power sector reform and investing in renewable energy sources.
“As far as I am concerned we don’t have power supply in Nigeria, you can imagine light will come at midnight when people are already asleep, I call on the federal government to step modality as regards to power.
“The situation is dire, with some areas experiencing weeks or even months of darkness due to power grid collapses or maintenance. The lack of reliable power supply is hindering economic growth and affecting the overall quality of life.
“The private sector is stepping in to fill the gap, with some businesses turning to solar power and other alternative energy sources. However, this is not a sustainable solution, and the government must take responsibility for providing reliable power supply,” he said.
John Haruna, a bar manager, said that the power crisis is not limited to urban areas; rural communities are also suffering, exacerbating poverty and inequality
“It got to a point I stopped using NEPA because it cannot serve my business, I now using solar power to chili m drinks. And many businesses are turning to alternative energy sources,” he said.
Peoples Daily gathered that Yola Electricity Distribution Company (YEDC) has Wednesday again announced planned outages to allow for maintenance work on transmission lines, affecting several communities, including Jalingo, Zing, and Lau local government areas of the State.
The outages according to YEDC are part of efforts to improve power infrastructure and strengthen electricity supply in the region.
Our Correspondent from Awka, Anambra reports that there is growing frustration and confusion in Awka, the state capital of Anambra State as residents and other electricity consumers are lamenting poor electricity supply.
The residents, especially, business owners who spoke to our correspondent in separate interviews, lamented that the epileptic power supply by the newly launched FirstPower Electricity Distribution Company Limited, a subsidiary of the Enugu Electricity Distribution Company (EEDC) amid outrageous billings has crippled, not only economic and commercial activities, but also domestic activities.
But while the residents are blaming the power distribution companies for the sad development, the power firms are attributing the power outage to nationwide power generation challenges affecting the entire Nigerian electricity sector, rather than an operational failure by the companies.
A barber, Mr Anthony Ugokwe, who also spoke on the sad development in the area, appealed to Solor light dealers to reduce their selling rate to help salvage the situation.
*The situation is bitting. All the money made now on daily basis goes to fuel. I don’t longer save. Feeding has become a talk of war in my home. You media people should do so. You people should stop writing commendable stories about the government because money. As watchdog of the society, you people write up should focus majorly on the vulnerable members of the society.
“The electricity billing is now higher than house rent in Awka and the state as a whole. If Nigerians can aggree with me, let’s stop using NEPA light and return to our native way of living with lanthan, afterall, our forefathers then where surviving happily without any record of high blood pressure.
Mrs Agnes Kenechukwu, who also spoke briefly on the development, described the poor service as unfortunate.
She called on Awka residents to embarked on two weeks protest to let the governor Chukwuma Charles Soludo know about what the people that voted him back to power are currently passing through in the state.
Our correspondent who equally visited some Awka neighbouring communities gathered that the prolonged blackout had forced households across the 21 councils in the state to depend on generators to power their homes and business premises while many owners of petty businesses like restaurants and drinking bar which depend on electricity now used ice-block to sustain their businesses and some have closed down temporarily due to the high cost of fuelling generators.
The persistent power shortfall has continued to exert pressure on households and businesses alike.
According to the Managing Director of the Nigerian Independent System Operator, Abdu Bello Mohammed, the impact is significant, with families struggling under extreme heat and businesses incurring heavy losses.
The World Bank estimates that power outages cost Nigeria about $29 billion annually—roughly 10 per cent of the nation’s GDP.
Findings further indicate that businesses, manufacturers, and households now spend billions annually generating their own electricity, further increasing operating costs amid harsh economic conditions.
