President Bola Ahmed Tinubu disclosed alarming statistics: over 90 million Nigerians currently live without electricity. Meanwhile, Power Minister Adebayo Adelabu raises concerns about underperforming power companies.
Addressing attendees at the Nigeria Electricity Supply Industry (NESI) Roundtable in Abuja, Tinubu, represented by Special Adviser on Power and Infrastructure, Sadique Wanka, revealed the national grid meets a mere 15% of Nigeria’s electricity needs. Consequently, households and factories resort to costlier self-generation, fulfilling nearly 40% of demand. Despite a set target of 40,000MW by 2020, the grid capacity has seen a minimal increase from 3,000MW to slightly over 4,000MW in a decade.
According to a report by [The Sun](#), Tinubu further explained that only 45% of NESI customers have meters, with discrepancies across DisCos. While the government is actively supporting metering initiatives through the World Bank (DISREP) program, long-term, sustainable metering solutions should be spearheaded by DisCos and their collaborators.
Minister Adebayo Adelabu, clearly frustrated by the sector’s performance, cautioned about potential license revocations for substandard companies. Emphasizing a shift towards commercialization over privatization, he stressed the importance of evaluating each company’s technical capability, financial stability, and overall contributions to the infrastructure.
“Renewal isn’t guaranteed. Privatized companies that haven’t met expectations may face non-renewal. It’s essential to assess compliance with licensing terms,” Adelabu stated firmly.
Highlighting the electricity industry’s unsatisfactory state years post-privatization, Adelabu questioned the effectiveness of privatization efforts and advocated for a broader industry discussion to address underlying issues.
