No electricity, no business. It’s that simple.
A tailor in Aba buys diesel at about N1,700 per litre to run generator. A barber in Kaduna spends more on fuel than he makes from haircuts. A cold-room owner in Ibadan throws away spoilt fish, what traders call “rough fish”, because there was no light for 2 days.
Nigeria has 13,625MW installed capacity, but only averages 4,633MW in 2025 for over 230 million people. South Africa generates over 48,000MW for 60 million. Egypt generates about 59,000MW for 110 million. The average Nigerian gets 6-8 hours of electricity per day. Ghana gets 16, Kenya 18, Egypt 23.
We spend N15 trillion to N16.5 trillion every year on generators, diesel and petrol, according to the Minister of Power. That money can build 10 new power plants!
What is causing it?
Not lack of gas; we have gas. It’s old transmission lines that collapse (11 collapses by late 2024), stranded capacity of over 2,200MW that cannot reach homes, under-investment in solar, and DisCos that collect money but don’t give light. Over 22 million generators in Nigeria now produce 42,000MW combined, more than the national grid itself.
What a Better Nigeria looks like:
- Solar + Gas mini-grids in every industrial cluster — Aba, Onitsha, Kano, Lagos. Factories share power and cost drops.
- Fix transmission — Upgrade lines so power generated actually reaches homes. The new Grid Asset Company (GAMCO) is starting this.
- Prepaid meters for all — You pay for what you use, no estimated billing. Over 7 million Nigerians still have no meters.
- Transparency and accountability — In the management of the power sector. N4 trillion debt to GenCos must be cleared transparently.
Rwanda stabilized in 4 years, Egypt added 14,000MW in 6 years. We can do it.
Your action today:
Save power where you can, but also demand, ask your DisCo: “Where is my meter?” And support one business today that uses solar or clean power.
Availability of electricity is not luxury; it is our right. No light, no Better Nigeria. With light, everything is possible.
