By Ojone Enejoh (Energy Correspondent)
No sector better explains Nigeria's underdevelopment in 66 years of Nigeria's nationhood than electricity. For decades, governments have announced power projects. There have been: National Electric Power Authority (NEPA); Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) unbundling;
generation and distribution privatisation programmes; the Electric Power Sector Reform Act; the Nigerian Bulk Electricity Trading framework; the transmission investments; the renewable-energy initiatives; the rural electrification programmes; and, more recently, the Electricity Act 2023.
Yet electricity supply has remained inadequate. The World Bank's data show that only about 62.5 per cent of Nigerians had access to electricity in 2024. The significance is enormous. Without reliable electricity: factories cannot compete;
hospitals cannot function efficiently;
schools cannot modernise; small businesses cannot grow; digital industries face higher costs; and households spend more on generators and fuel.
The Electricity Act 2023 provides for a broader integrated electricity framework and recognises renewable energy within Nigeria's electricity mix. The next phase should therefore be less about announcing megawatts and more about delivering reliable electricity to productive users. Nigeria needs a combination of:
gas-fired generation; hydro; solar; mini-grids;
battery storage; stronger transmission;
efficient distribution; transparent tariffs;
metering; and private investment under credible regulation.
Power reform should be measured by hours of reliable supply and the cost of electricity to households and businesses, not merely by installed generation capacity. NNL.
