Electricity supply across many Nigerian states has worsened despite increased tariffs, prompting nationwide frustration
Electricity supply across many Nigerian states has worsened despite increased tariffs, prompting nationwide frustration. In Kano, Kaduna, and Maiduguri, industrialists and small business owners decried poor supply and inflated bills, with some spending up to 60% of their profits on power. Kano industrialist Yusuf Yakasai lamented, “I pay as much as N4 million monthly…about two-third of the profit is gone.”
The decentralisation of power generation under the amended Electricity Act, signed in February 2024, has yet to yield visible impact, even in states that have domesticated it.
In Lagos, Band A customers complained of exorbitant billing despite better supply. “The bill is giving everybody a setback,” said a trader in Obawole.
Minister of Power Adebayo Adelabu’s aide, Bolaji Tunji, insisted, “We won’t get there overnight… this government is trying to resolve all of them.”
Experts urged states to leverage local resources for power generation. “You can’t demand lower tariffs for power you don’t generate,” said Adetayo Adegbemle of PowerUp Nigeria.