Power Failure, Policy Failure: Why Nigeria Cannot Develop In The Dark
By NINI NDUONOFIT-AKOH
A National Emergency Normalised
IN Nigeria, electricity failure has ceased to be treated as an emergency. Grid collapses now occur with such frequency that they are announced, endured, and forgotten—until the next blackout strikes. What should provoke outrage has become routine. This normalisation of failure reflects not technical impossibility, but a deep policy and governance crisis in the electricity sector.
For a country with abundant natural gas, solar potential, and a youthful workforce, persistent darkness is indefensible. Yet Nigeria’s power sector remains trapped in a cycle of collapse, repair, and relapse, with citizens and businesses paying the price.
The Economy That Runs on Generators
The most visible consequence of grid failure is the generator economy. From roadside traders to hospitals and factories, Nigerians have substituted public electricity with private power. This coping mechanism, however, is economically brutal.
Businesses spend billions of dollars annually on diesel and petrol to generate electricity that should be publicly supplied. This drains capital that could otherwise be invested in expansion, employment, or innovation. Small businesses, especially in the informal sector, suffer disproportionately; a single blackout can wipe out a day’s earnings.
Electricity instability is not merely inconvenient—it is a structural brake on productivity, competitiveness, and economic growth.
Infrastructure Rot and Technical Fragility
At the heart of recurring grid collapse lies decaying infrastructure. Transmission lines operating far beyond their lifespan, overloaded substations, and obsolete control systems make the grid fragile. Minor disturbances—storms, equipment failure, or load imbalance—can cascade into nationwide outages.
This fragility is the result of decades of underinvestment and poor maintenance. Successive governments have preferred announcements to actual upgrades, leaving Nigeria with a grid that cannot withstand modern demand.
Generation Shortfalls and Bottlenecks
Nigeria’s electricity generation remains far below national demand. Even at optimal performance, available power does not meet consumption needs. This gap forces the grid to operate under constant stress, making collapse almost inevitable.
Transmission and distribution bottlenecks worsen the problem. Power generated often cannot be evacuated efficiently due to congestion and losses along the network. Distribution companies struggle with technical inefficiencies, energy theft, and poor revenue collection, further weakening the system.
A Sector Starved of Financial Credibility
The electricity sector is financially illiquid. Tariffs that fail to reflect actual costs discourage investment, while government subsidies are often delayed or insufficient. Power companies accumulate debt, gas suppliers hesitate to deliver, and infrastructure upgrades stall.
Without financial credibility, the sector repels the very investment needed to fix it. Investors demand predictability, transparency, and returns—none of which are reliably present.
Vandalism, Governance, and Accountability
Power infrastructure vandalism is both a cause and a symptom of governance failure. Weak enforcement, poor community engagement, and inadequate security allow sabotage to thrive. Each vandalised line or stolen component deepens instability and raises repair costs.
More damaging, however, is the absence of accountability. Grid collapses rarely result in sanctions, resignations, or structural reform. Failure carries no consequences, so it repeats.
Beyond Empty Reforms
Past reforms, including the privatisation of PHCN, were sold as turning points. Instead, they exposed structural weaknesses without resolving them. Privatisation without strong regulation, infrastructure investment, and financial discipline merely redistributed dysfunction.
Reform cannot succeed without political will. Upgrading infrastructure, diversifying energy sources, fixing tariffs, and enforcing accountability are not technical mysteries—they are governance choices.
Lighting the Way Forward
Nigeria does not lack solutions. Modernising the grid, investing in renewables, promoting decentralised power systems, and strengthening regulation are achievable goals. What is lacking is urgency.
Until electricity is treated as a national priority rather than a recurring inconvenience, Nigerians will remain trapped in darkness—paying for failure with lost opportunities, wasted resources, and diminished quality of life.
