NIGERIA: President Bola Tinubu’s electricity reforms have come under fresh scrutiny ahead of the 2027 general elections, with the All Progressives Congress (APC) defending his administration’s record, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar questioning its delivery, and Peter Obi promising to generate, transmit and distribute at least 10,000 megawatts (MW) if elected president.
The debate also comes amid concerns over Nigeria’s huge electricity deficit, with former Minister of Power, Prof. Bart Nnaji, arguing that the country needs at least 100,000MW to achieve significant economic growth and compete with emerging economies such as Brazil and Indonesia, reports The Guardian.
In a statement on Sunday, spokesperson of the APC Presidential Campaign Council (PCC) and Minister of Solid Minerals, Dele Alake, maintained that Tinubu remained committed to his campaign promise of stable and reliable electricity, despite the longstanding challenges confronting the sector.
Alake urged Nigerians to assess the President’s 2023 campaign pledge in its entirety, including his undertaking to provide adequate explanations for any failure before seeking re-election.
During the build-up to the 2023 presidential election, Tinubu had promised stable electricity supply and challenged Nigerians not to vote for him again if he failed to fulfil the commitment without satisfactory explanations.
He recalled the President as saying: “Whichever way, by all means necessary, you will have electricity, and you will not pay for estimated bills anymore. A promise made will be a promise kept. If I don’t keep the promise and I come for a second term, don’t vote for me, unless I give you adequate reasons why I couldn’t deliver.”
Alake argued that some critics had selectively reproduced the pledge without its concluding qualification, insisting that the administration’s performance should be assessed alongside the full statement and the interventions undertaken since 2023.
“While fixing the power sector crisis remains unfinished, the President is working consistently to deliver on his promise to Nigerians, and his commitment to face the challenges head-on has never diminished,” he said.
The APC PCC identified the Electricity Act, 2023, signed by Tinubu on June 9, barely two weeks after assuming office, as a major step towards restructuring the industry.
According to Alake, the legislation opened up the electricity market by allowing state governments to participate in generation, transmission and distribution. He listed Lagos, Enugu, Abia, Ekiti, Oyo, Kaduna and Niger among states that had established electricity regulatory agencies to attract investment.
The council also said the administration had assumed responsibility for more than N6 trillion in legacy debts accumulated between 2015 and 2025, while introducing the Presidential Metering Initiative to address a national metering gap of over seven million customers.
It claimed that more than 1.5 million customers had been metered under the initiative in the last three years.
On outstanding obligations to electricity operators, Alake disclosed that the government had established a N4 trillion bond programme to settle verified legacy debts owed to 21 electricity generation and gas companies.
He said the first and second tranches had raised more than N1.2 trillion to settle part of the verified liabilities, adding that the intervention was reducing market risks and encouraging fresh investment.
He cited Geregu Power Plc’s recent investment in new transformers to improve operations at its Geregu 1 Power Plant as evidence of growing investor confidence.
On transmission infrastructure, Alake said Tinubu had reviewed the Presidential Power Initiative inherited from the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari and signed an acceleration agreement with German partners in December 2023 to fast-track projects aimed at strengthening the national grid.
He said the Federal Executive Council approved the first batch of five Transmission Company of Nigeria substations for upgrades in December 2024, with the projects expected to be commissioned before the end of the administration’s first term.
In June 2026, the council approved another batch involving the construction of eight new substations and the upgrading of four existing facilities.
The APC PCC also cited plans to modernise the over 60-year-old Osogbo Grid Control Centre and construct an East-West super grid, alongside Rural Electrification Agency projects connecting universities, hospitals and rural communities to solar power.
On electricity tariffs, Alake defended the administration’s move towards cost-reflective pricing, arguing that the introduction of different service bands was intended to improve liquidity, strengthen distribution companies and reduce the government’s electricity subsidy burden while retaining protection for low-income consumers.
ATIKU: BONDS CANNOT REPLACE RELIABLE ELECTRICITY
However, Atiku dismissed the APC’s defence, accusing the ruling party of celebrating legislation, bond programmes and project approvals while Nigerians continued to endure unreliable electricity supply.
In a statement issued on Sunday by Phrank Shaibu, Director of Strategic Communication of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) Presidential Campaign Council, the former vice president said Nigerians needed dependable electricity rather than repeated announcements about government interventions.
“The APC should spare Nigerians the spectacle of celebrating paperwork while homes and businesses remain in darkness,” he said.
Atiku argued that households continued to spend scarce resources on generators and other alternative power sources, while traders and small businesses struggled with rising energy costs.
He also faulted the electricity tariff structure, which categorises consumers into Bands A, B, C, D and E, questioning why customers should pay different rates without receiving reliable electricity.
He specifically cited the approximately N209.50 per kilowatt-hour charged to some Band A customers before Value Added Tax (VAT), arguing that higher tariffs should translate into corresponding improvements in supply.
The former vice president also demanded clarification on the Federal Government’s plan to discontinue electricity subsidies from 2027, asking how the proposed withdrawal would affect household and business electricity bills.
Although the government had given assurances that there would be no immediate tariff increase, Atiku said Nigerians deserved to understand the implications of ending the subsidies.
He pledged to work with state governments and relevant regulators, within the provisions of the law, to replace the existing electricity band system with what he described as a fairer, more transparent and affordable framework.
He said such an arrangement would protect households while ensuring that distribution companies were accountable for the quality and quantity of electricity delivered to consumers.
Recalling Tinubu’s 2023 campaign promise, Atiku quoted the President as saying: “If I don’t give you constant electricity for four years, when I come back for a second term, don’t vote for me.”
He argued that Nigerians had now experienced the period covered by the pledge and should assess the administration based on its delivery.
Atiku also questioned the government’s bond programme, maintaining that settling outstanding debts owed to generation companies was different from building new electricity infrastructure capable of significantly increasing power generation.
“Paying old debts is not the same as building new power infrastructure. Bonds cannot be presented as a substitute for power in people’s homes,” he said.
He further raised concerns about VAT on electricity and the proposed five per cent surcharge on certain fossil fuels, including petrol and diesel, under the Nigeria Tax Act, arguing that consumers needed clarity on additional energy-related charges.
Responding directly to the APC’s defence, he said legislative approvals, financial arrangements and project announcements should not be confused with actual improvements in electricity supply.
“Dele Alake’s statement cannot light a home. Signing a law is not electricity. Raising a bond is not electricity. Approving a project is not power delivered,” he added.
OBI PROMISES 10,000MW IF ELECTED
Meanwhile, presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Peter Obi, has pledged to generate, transmit and distribute at least 10,000MW of electricity if elected president in 2027.
The former Anambra State governor made the commitment during a town hall meeting in Enugu, where he outlined his proposed approach to tackling insecurity, corruption, unemployment and other national challenges.
Identifying electricity as a priority, Obi argued that reliable power supply was essential to reviving industries, creating employment and stimulating economic activities.
“As I promised, we will generate, transmit and distribute at least 10,000 megawatts of electricity, because we want industrial work,” he said.
Obi also promised to declare emergencies in education and the fight against corruption, improve access to primary healthcare and strengthen transparency and accountability in public spending.
He urged Nigerians not to lose hope in the country, describing the 2027 election as an opportunity to address its economic and security challenges.
NNAJI: NIGERIA NEEDS 100,000MW TO DRIVE ECONOMIC GROWTH
Providing a broader perspective on the electricity crisis, former Minister of Power, Prof. Bart Nnaji, said Nigeria required at least 100,000MW to achieve significant economic growth and compete with emerging economies.
Nnaji, who expressed concern over the country’s persistent electricity shortages, attributed the sector’s poor performance to irregularities surrounding the 2013 privatisation exercise, mounting government debts, inadequate gas supply and the absence of investment guarantees.
He spoke at the weekend while delivering the keynote address at the Lagos Country Club Business Forum 3.0 in Ikeja, Lagos, themed, “Energy Costs and Business Survival: Driving Profitability amid Nigeria’s Power Crisis”.
According to him, Nigeria has the capacity to generate about 13,000MW, but only between 4,000MW and 5,000MW is available on the national grid, partly because of deteriorating transmission infrastructure.
He said the country’s ambition to become a major economic power would remain difficult to achieve without massive investment across electricity generation, transmission and distribution.
“Nigeria needs at least 100,000MW to become a higher-medium economy. This is my figure by looking at countries that we like to compare notes with, such as Brazil and Indonesia,” he said.
The former minister maintained that the required investment could only be mobilised through private sector participation supported by an enabling government environment.
He criticised the circumstances surrounding the privatisation of the defunct Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN), arguing that the exercise was driven largely by investors seeking immediate and excessive returns rather than a commitment to developing the electricity industry.
“The strong desire for immediate and humongous profits from the sector led to the enormous abuses the nation witnessed during the privatisation of Power Holding Company of Nigeria assets in 2013,” he said.
In his welcome address, President of Lagos Country Club, Seyi Adewunmi, identified improved gas supply, adequate infrastructure, maintenance of existing power plants and investment in gas-fired, hydroelectric and renewable energy sources as priorities for strengthening electricity generation.
He also called for accelerated investment in transmission and distribution infrastructure, including power lines, substations, transformers and modern grid management systems, to address bottlenecks and reduce technical and commercial losses.
Adewunmi advocated decentralised electricity solutions under the Electricity Act, 2023, citing the Aba Integrated Power Project as an example of how integrated power systems could serve specific economic communities.
He further called for commercial discipline, transparency and accountability across the electricity value chain, including improved metering, an end to estimated billing, transparent tariffs and stronger measures against electricity theft and avoidable losses.
He said subsidies for vulnerable Nigerians should be properly targeted and transparently funded, while electricity companies required adequate revenue to maintain infrastructure and provide reliable services.
He added that resolving the crisis required collective commitment from government, regulators, financial institutions and energy companies.
“For the true measure of power sector reform is not the megawatts announced in speeches, but the reliable electricity delivered to our factories, our offices and our homes,” he said.
