Since the return to democratic governance in 1999, successive Nigerian administrations have launched reforms, insurance policies and interventions aimed toward addressing the nation’s persistent electrical energy challenges. Yet, greater than 20 years later, dependable energy provide stays elusive, with households and companies persevering with to rely their losses. The newest manifestation of this enduring problem is obvious in the final two weeks, as chosen states throughout the nation, together with Lagos, Abuja, Ogun, Kwara and Oyo, have skilled various levels of energy outages, characterised by outright blackouts and electrical energy provide for as little as lower than one hour a day. In the midst of a warmth wave projected to say about 31,000 extra lives and a inhabitants grappling with the rising price of dwelling, Chiemelie Ezeobi and Esther Oluku write on the financial price of energy outages on companies and households
When Joseph Olasunkanmi Tegbe appeared earlier than the Senate for screening on May 6, 2026 as the minister designated for the Ministry of Power, he initially outlined a 100-day plan aimed toward stabilising Nigeria’s nationwide electrical energy grid and addressing the recurring energy challenges in the nation.
He recognized grid stability as a precedence, alongside bettering electrical energy metering, imposing operational self-discipline throughout the facility sector and strengthening the nation’s electrical energy reserves.
As a minister-designate then, he additionally promised seen enhancements in electrical energy provide, assuring lawmakers that his administration would work in direction of delivering measurable outcomes inside the first 100 days.
However, following issues over the interpretation of his dedication, his spokesperson clarified on May 8, 2026, that Tegbe had not promised to utterly repair the nationwide grid inside three months, quite, the 100-day goal was targeted on commencing interventions to stabilise the grid, whereas broader structural reforms might take as much as one 12 months.
Six months after taking workplace, the recurring outages throughout a number of states have once more introduced the query of grid stability and the supply of the minister’s preliminary commitments into focus as a result of sadly, that very same electrical energy has eluded Nigerians throughout 5 states of the nation in the final two weeks and extra.
Data launched by the National Institute for Legislative and Democratic Studies (NILDS), in March 2026, reported that Nigeria’s nationwide grid had skilled 564 partial and complete collapses between 2000 and 2022, with failures persevering with in subsequent years.
Two Decades of Reforms, Yet Nigeria Remains in Darkness
Nigeria’s wrestle with unreliable electrical energy provide will not be a latest improvement. Since the return to democratic governance in 1999, successive administrations have launched insurance policies, reforms and interventions aimed toward addressing the nation’s persistent energy challenges. Yet, greater than 20 years later, dependable electrical energy stays elusive for thousands and thousands of households and companies.
When civilian rule returned in 1999, the electrical energy sector was already in a poor state, with ageing infrastructure, insufficient funding and declining technology capability.
The administration of former President Olusegun Obasanjo launched the National Electric Power Policy in 2001, setting the inspiration for reforms meant to restructure the sector and entice non-public funding.
This was adopted by the Electric Power Sector Reform Act of 2005, which supplied the authorized framework for unbundling the then National Electric Power Authority (NEPA) and establishing the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC).
Under former President Goodluck Jonathan, the privatisation of the electrical energy sector was accomplished in 2013, with the switch of technology and distribution firms to non-public buyers.
The expectation was that private-sector participation would entice funding, enhance effectivity and ship extra dependable electrical energy. However, persistent technology shortages, insufficient transmission infrastructure and distribution challenges continued to undermine the anticipated enhancements.
The administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari additionally pursued interventions to enhance technology and transmission capability, however frequent grid collapses and electrical energy shortages remained a serious concern.
Under President Bola Tinubu, the Electricity Act 2023 launched one other main coverage shift by permitting states to take part extra straight in electrical energy technology, transmission and distribution, opening the door to decentralised electrical energy markets.
Despite these successive reforms, investments and coverage adjustments, the hole between electrical energy demand and out there provide stays vital. Ageing infrastructure, insufficient gasoline provide, transmission constraints, vandalism and liquidity challenges proceed to have an effect on the sector.
Businesses Speak on Economic Implications of Power Outage
For micro, small and medium-scale enterprises, which make up greater than 60 per cent of Nigeria’s working inhabitants, the facility outage has resulted in losses working into tons of of hundreds of naira, low patronage ensuing in money owed, and low turnover.
For Mrs. Ese Oshareode, a frozen meals vendor at Alakoto Market in Ajeromi-Ifelodun Local Government Area of Lagos State, the facility outage has resulted to large losses.
“This light situation is affecting us badly. Our goods get spoilt and we have no choice but to dispose of them. Some of the goods that didn’t spoil so badly were sold to buyers, while the ones which could not be redeemed were disposed of. The situation had also made us buy goods in very small portions,” she stated.
On his half, Mr. Stanley Igwe, a drinks and provisions retailer proprietor, revealed that the facility state of affairs had prompted a drastic discount in the sale of sachet water and drinks. According to him, individuals who would naturally patronise him to purchase chilly water and drinks wouldn’t come as a result of his drinks weren’t chilly.
“The light situation in Nigeria is terrible and to imagine that the President himself uses solar and does not know how ordinary Nigerians live.”
Another frozen meals vendor who spoke to THISDAY, Mrs. Blessing Omozer, acknowledged that she misplaced items value in extra of N300,000 as a outcome of the facility outage.
“This power outage has been a very bad season for us businesswomen, especially the frozen food vendors. Up to four cartons of my fish got spoilt. One carton is N75,000. If you calculate it, it’s more than 300,000. I’m struggling to regain myself as a result of the loss,” she stated.
For companies in the manufacturing house, the facility outage has shifted manufacturing deadlines and would impact end-of-year manufacturing and gross sales.
Chief Executive Officer of XTA Leathers, Esther Okewole, famous that she had not been capable of do any significant work in the final two weeks.
“The electricity situation is terrible. I have not been able to do any meaningful work for two weeks now. It is dragging the fulfilment of customers’ orders backwards. My production for ember sales is pending because there is no light,” she stated.
Effect of Power Outage on Families
Families who spoke to THISDAY stated that the facility outage had prompted each monetary losses and bodily stress to them and their households.
Mr. Victor Israel, a father of three, defined that the extraordinary warmth of the season and the shortage of energy to run his cooling system had made it tough to regain misplaced power after a annoying workday.
Mrs. Clara Okafor, a housewife, stated that she had needed to dispose of a contemporary pot of soup which couldn’t final till morning as a result of of the warmth.
Speaking on how her household copes with the state of affairs, she stated: “My husband sleeps exterior till morning as a result of of the warmth. My youngsters and I sleep with out garments. I not put my soup contained in the fridge. When I prepare dinner, I’ve to maintain warming it to make sure it stays good for consumption.
“One night, I was optimistic they’d give us electricity. I had cooked and put the soup inside the fridge. The following day, the soup had swollen. I had spent up to 15,000 naira to cook that soup. Everything was gone. I threw it away,” she stated.
A widow and mom of 4 youngsters, Ms. Latifat, stated that it had develop into exhausting to prepare dinner. “If you cook soup now, put it in the freezer, everything will spoil because of the light issue.”
What Exactly is the Ministry of Power Doing?
The epileptic energy provide has of course elicited the query what the ministry in cost of energy is definitely doing.
On November 6, 2026, the minister blamed the drop in electrical energy provide on the graduation of deliberate upkeep at Egbin Power Station and constraints in gasoline provide to some thermal energy stations, which had diminished the quantity of electrical energy out there on the nationwide grid.
This, he stated, had necessitated the grid operators implementing load shedding in some areas to handle the shortfall. He added that the sabotage of key transmission traces had additionally restricted the use of various routes to provide some areas, particularly Lagos.
In one other assertion on November 7, 2026, he shared that 98 of over 300 containers carrying energy provide tools, which had been ‘stranded’ on the port for almost 20 years, had been accepted for launch.
He famous that as quickly as the ministry take supply of the tools, it could be examined and deployed to spice up electrical energy provide by increasing energy networks, relieving overloaded substations and bringing extra dependable electrical energy to Nigerians.
Tegbe additional assured Nigerians that the ministry was working to return the affected producing models to service in phases, with the primary models coming again on-line inside the subsequent 48 to 72 hours from November 8, 2026.
He added that the ministry was additionally working with operators to enhance gasoline provide and speed up repairs to the broken infrastructure.
Even with the assurances, the truth is completely completely different for Nigerians who’ve been left to grapple with the fee of the epileptic energy provide throughout board and the consequences on their each day lives.
