Africa (Commonwealth Union) _ Earlier today, residents from the Sun City estates and surrounding neighborhoods held a protest at the local office of the Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC), voicing outrage over crippling power shortages and unjustifiable electricity tariffs. Despite personal physical limitations, the protest brought a sense of defiant energy to participants long sidelined by age or frustration.
Officially placed on Band B, the residents should receive 16–20 hours of electricity daily, but they only manage two to four hours. Many can no longer afford diesel to run their generators, leaving them trapped in darkness despite paying for power. The demonstrators lambasted both the electricity distribution companies (DisCos) and Nigeria’s Minister of Power, accusing them of consistent failure.
The protest evoked a sense of nostalgia for the Electricity Corporation of Nigeria (ECN) of the 1970s, when 20-hour daily electricity still drew complaints. The ECN was dissolved in 1972 to make way for the National Electric Power Authority (NEPA), which promised 24-hour electricity but only delivered around 10. The situation worsened post-2005 with the establishment of the Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN), leading eventually to a flawed privatisation process in 2013.
Since then, the sector has delivered two key outcomes: skyrocketing electricity prices and the virtual collapse of reliable supply. The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) in April 2024 hiked tariffs for Band A consumers by 300%, falsely claiming these groups received over 20 hours of daily power. In reality, no segment of society consistently experiences such levels of supply. The steep hike, amidst an economic crisis, has devastated industries, hospitals, universities, and possibly even Aso Rock itself.
The original sin, analysts argue, lies in the privatisation model, which sidelined competent investors in favour of politically connected actors. Technical inefficiencies plague every link of the power value chain, from unreliable gas supplies to underperforming transmission networks. Distribution companies refuse to install prepaid meters, preferring estimated billing to extort consumers.
A recent ACE-SOAS study found that Nigerians spend more on fuel for generators than on electricity from the national grid. The reforms have collapsed, with liquidity and structural crises deepening over time. The entire model was based on unrealistic projections of reinvestment and efficiency. Instead, company owners looted profits and failed to expand capacity.
Looking back, successive administrations have made empty promises. From Obasanjo’s NIPP to Yar’Adua’s 6,000 MW pledge, and from Jonathan’s 20,000 MW target to Buhari’s grid collapses, the country has remained trapped at a mere 4,000–4,500 MW. Meanwhile, Egypt added 30,000 MW in just six years, achieving surplus electricity by 2015.
The sobering truth is that Nigeria’s power sector is now a case study in failed governance and embedded corruption. DisCos operate with impunity, regulators lack enforcement power, and governments across party lines have shown neither the will nor the capacity to fix the rot. Instead of powering development, they’ve fueled despair.
What the country needs is its Lenin, not for ideology, but for vision and urgency. As Lenin once said, “Communism is Soviet power plus electrification of the whole country.” Egypt understood. Nigeria did not.
