Peter Obi, the Presidential Candidate of the Labour Party in the 2023 general election, has voiced serious concerns regarding Nigeria’s persistent power challenges, which have seen the national grid collapse 141 times in the past 11 years. Obi has called for immediate and practical solutions to address this critical issue.
Highlighting the disparity between Nigeria’s power generation capacity of 13,000 megawatts (MW) and the demand of approximately 200,000 MW, Obi emphasized that only about 3,500 MW are effectively available for homes and businesses. This staggering shortfall places Nigeria at the bottom of the global per capita wattage rankings.
In an article titled “The Collapsing Electricity Sector,” Obi underscored the urgent need for reform within the Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry (NESI). He lamented the recurring system collapses, attributing them to avoidable factors such as fire outbreaks and managerial deficiencies.
Obi criticized the government’s failure to address key challenges facing the power sector, including inadequate gas infrastructure, weak commercial viability of gas-to-power initiatives, and vandalism. He also pointed out deficiencies in transmission and distribution networks, citing lack of investment in modern technologies and poor coordination between key stakeholders.
Proposing immediate action, Obi called on the Federal Government to establish a technical task force comprising seasoned professionals to diagnose the sector’s challenges and implement corrective measures. He emphasized the importance of enhancing coordination between Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) and distribution companies (discos), improving infrastructure, and instilling accountability among operators.
Obi concluded by urging the government to develop a coherent national electricity policy and implementation roadmap to ensure the rapid and sustainable delivery of reliable, adequate, and affordable electricity to all Nigerians.
