Dare Akogun, Stephen Angbulu, Gift Habib, Hussaini Ibrahim, Godwin Isenyo, Raphael Ede, John Charles, Ademola Adegbite and Justin Tyopuusu

Many households and businesses across the country have been reeling from the effect of worsening electricity supply as a relentless heatwave intensifies hardship.

Findings by Saturday PUNCH show that residents of Kano, Kaduna, Sokoto, Enugu, Benue, Oyo, Akwa-Ibom, Taraba, Lagos and Ogun states have been grappling with prolonged blackouts in weeks, forcing many people to abandon reliance on public electricity and turn to generators and solar power.

Residents, who spoke to our correspondents, said the situation made it nearly impossible for them to carry out normal activities during the day.

Energy analysts warn that the worsening outages highlight deeper structural failures within the electricity sector, including gas supply shortages to power plants, weak transmission infrastructure and chronic underinvestment across the power value chain.

For millions of Nigerians struggling with rising living costs, the consequences are immediate as many grapple with business closures, food spoilage, rising energy costs and growing dependence on alternative power sources.

One hour power in Kano, none in Sokoto

In Kano, residents of Unguwa Uku and Hotoro Dan Marke told Saturday PUNCH that electricity supply had dropped drastically in the past month.

A resident, Ahmad Ibrahim, said households received electricity for barely one hour.

He noted that even the one hour came at night.

“We hardly get electricity for more than one hour. Sometimes it may last two hours, but most times it comes late at night,” he said.

Another resident, Habibu Abdullahi, said the persistent blackout forced many households to seek alternative energy solutions.

He explained that while some households switched to solar, others totally disconnected from the public electric source.

“I cannot even count the number of houses that have installed solar systems because of the outage. Many people have already lost hope in public electricity supply,” he said.

In Sokoto, residents reported an even severe situation.

Communities including Mabera, Tamaje, Old Airport, Sahara, Emir Yahya and Tudun Wada said electricity supply had fallen below one hour daily.

A resident of Mabera, Musa Abdullahi, said the blackout worsened hardship during the Ramadan period.

“Because of the heat and fasting, people now depend on neighbours who have solar power to buy ice blocks or cold water,” he said.

Residents also complained that even communities classified under the Band A electricity tariff category, which should receive at least 20 hours of electricity daily, were receiving far less.

Businesses count losses

In Enugu State, where many consumers recently migrated to the expensive Band A electricity tariff, residents said electricity supply remained far below expectations.

A resident of Emene, Chinedu Okafor, said households were paying significantly higher tariffs despite receiving between four and 10 hours of electricity daily.

“How can people pay the highest tariff when electricity comes for only four hours?” he asked.

A small business owner in Nsukka, Amaka Nwosu, said the rising cost of running generators had crippled productivity.

“The cost of running generators is killing our business. Production has slowed and expenses keep rising,” she said.

In Makurdi, Benue State, residents said prolonged outages had forced businesses to shut down.

A resident of Adeke area, Attah, said unreliable electricity supply destroyed his wife’s frozen food business.

“My wife sells frozen meats but the business collapsed because the electricity supply became too unreliable,” he said.

Also lamenting, Madam Debby, a resident of George Akume Road, decried the epileptic power supply in her area.

According to her, the area hardly enjoys power supply even when other areas in the capital city used to have steady power supply.

“Before now, our area had not been enjoying power supply, we only have power for like two hours hours in two or three days.

“But since January, I doubt if we have had power supply for three hours. And the population along this area keeps increasing because of the road.

“Several shops have closed down and the people relocated to other areas like high level, and Wadatta area. But I learned that most of the people who relocated are complaining of epileptic power supply in those areas now,” Madam Debby said.

In Akwa Ibom State, residents say electricity supply has remained erratic and inconsistent, with some communities receiving less than three hours of electricity daily.

Findings by Saturday PUNCH show that areas mostly affected include Aka Etinan, parts of Uyo metropolis, the Oron Road axis and Nwaniba Road corridor, where residents say unstable power supply has persisted for more than two years.

Although no public protests have been recorded over the situation, many residents have taken to social media platforms to express frustration over the prolonged outages.

A resident of Aka Etinan, Miss Ekaete Akpan, told Saturday PUNCH that the irregular power supply severely affected small businesses in the area.

“The electricity supply here in Aka Etinan is very inconsistent. Even when it comes, it hardly lasts up to three hours,” she said.

According to her, electricity is often supplied during early morning hours when most businesses are closed.

“Normally, they bring it around 3am and by 6 or 7am it is taken away again. After that you may not see electricity again until late in the night. It almost looks like the supply is timed,” Akpan said.

She added that the situation had become a major challenge for traders and small-scale entrepreneurs who rely heavily on electricity for their daily operations.

“It is really a serious issue here and it has affected many businesses,” she said.

Also in Oyo State, residents across several communities in the Ibadan metropolis said the worsening electricity supply had crippled economic activities.

A Saturday PUNCH visit to Moniya, Ojoo and Orogun communities in Akinyele Local Government Area, as well as Mokola, Sango and Oke-Itunu in Ibadan North Local Government Area, revealed widespread reliance on generators.

A resident, Kunle Ajala, said businesses struggled to survive due to erratic electricity supply.

“It has been almost a week since we had stable electricity here. Even when power comes, it may not last up to three hours,” he said.

Another resident who is a barber, Bisi Adeoye, said unreliable electricity had severely affected his business and livelihood.

“I depend on electricity for my business, which has not been moving well for some time now but despite the poor supply the electricity company still sends high bills,” he said.

A welder, Musbau Muritala, said many artisans in the area had been forced to suspend work and resort to riding commercial motorcycles to make ends meet.

“I cannot do anything without electricity. Sometimes power comes around midnight and disappears before morning,” he said.

In Kaduna State, residents said repeated outages had caused losses of perishable food items stored in refrigerators.

A resident of Sabo in Chikun Local Government Area of Kaduna State, Mrs Martina Aji, said the prolonged outage had caused losses of perishable food items in her refrigerator.

“Since last week, we have hardly had electricity. Food items, especially soup, have spoiled in my refrigerator,” she said.

Another resident, Jimmy Gaskiya, noted that the outages had forced many households to rely heavily on generators.

“Nothing seems to be working. The government should wake up to its responsibility and let the poor breathe,” he said.

In Taraba State, residents said electricity supply had fallen to between three and six hours daily.

A phone repair technician in Jalingo, Musa Ibrahim, said the outages had significantly reduced his income.

“Sometimes we get power for only three hours. It affects my work and earnings,” he said.

Similarly, a frozen food seller, Grace Yakubu, said repeated outages had led to spoilage of goods worth thousands of naira.

Despite the hardship, residents said no major protest had been organised, though many continue to express frustration over the prolonged outages.

Residents waste food, Tweep mocks minister

Saturday PUNCH gathered that some residents who stored food in their freezers poured it away due to the prolonged power outage.

A resident in the Obafemi Owode LGA of Ogun State, who asked not to be identified, said food worth about N100,000 which he stored in his freezer turned bad.

“I had to pour everything away because there was no power for three days. It was painful, but I had no option. And I am not alone. There are many people like me. Who will compensate us for this?” he queried.

Saturday PUNCH observes that social media is awash with content created by Nigerians to express frustration over the poor power supply.

On Twitter, a user shared an Artificial Intelligence-generated image of the Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, mockingly crowned the Olokunkun of Okunkun Kingdom (the king of darkness kingdom).

Other posts include a picture of a battered Nigerian captioned as an official of a distribution company handing out bills to customers amid the blackout, and an image of a man hugging a transformer to depict the erratic power supply.

Structural crisis in power sector

Nigeria’s electricity crisis reflects deeper structural problems within the country’s power sector.

Although the country has an installed electricity generation capacity of over 12,000 megawatts, actual generation frequently falls below 4,000 megawatts, far below what is required to power a population of more than 220 million people.

Energy experts estimate that the country will need at least 30,000 megawatts of stable electricity to support its population and industrial growth.

Frequent grid collapses and transmission bottlenecks also limit the amount of electricity that can be delivered to consumers.

The country’s heavy reliance on petrol and diesel generators further highlights the scale of the crisis. Industry estimates suggest that over 80 million Nigerian households and businesses rely on generators, creating a backup power market worth more than $10bn annually.

Gas shortages cripple power generation

Electricity distribution companies have attributed the worsening outages partly to gas supply shortages affecting power generation plants.

The Kaduna Electricity Distribution Company confirmed that reduced gas supply had significantly affected electricity distribution across its franchise states.

The company supplies electricity to Kaduna, Katsina, Kebbi, Zamfara and Sokoto states.

In a message to customers, the company said the situation had forced it to increase load shedding.

“We are currently experiencing a reduction in power supply due to gas supply constraints affecting power generation,” the company said.

Industry insiders say several power generation companies are currently operating below capacity due to gas supply disruptions.

Aso Rock tests N17bn Villa solar project

Meanwhile, the Presidential Villa may have shelved its planned disconnection from the national electricity grid despite ongoing investments in solar power infrastructure.

Senior State House officials told Saturday PUNCH that the solar power facility recently installed at the Villa was still undergoing technical testing, making an immediate disconnection from the grid impossible.

The development comes about a month after the State House Permanent Secretary, Temitope Fashedemi, told the Senate Committee on Special Duties during the 2026 budget defence on February 11 that the Villa would fully transition away from the grid by March.

A senior official familiar with the project said the solar system had not yet reached full operational capacity.

“We are still in the testing phase. When the solar system becomes fully operational, then we will see the savings,” the official said.

The official pointed to the State House Medical Centre as evidence of the project’s viability, noting that the facility had operated almost entirely on solar energy since its installation was completed in May 2025.

He also revealed that the ongoing testing phase had uncovered possible billing discrepancies by the Abuja Electricity Distribution Company, with some transformers allegedly charging the Villa for electricity not supplied.

“We discovered that some transformers were not delivering power but were still being billed. That issue is being reviewed and the costs have been adjusted,” the official said.

The State House began a phased transition to solar power in late 2024 as part of efforts to reduce the rising cost of electricity and diesel used to power its generators.

At the time, officials said the solar project would eventually supply electricity to the State House complex in Abuja, the Presidential Wing, the State House Medical Centre and the former seat of power at Dodan Barracks in Lagos.

The first phase focused on the State House Medical Centre, where a 1.2-megawatt solar plant was constructed to provide uninterrupted power supply for medical equipment.

The Chairman of the Medical Advisory Committee at the centre, Dr Dike Obalum, had said the project was designed to shield critical equipment from the effects of unstable electricity supply.

Despite the shift to solar power, another official dismissed suggestion that the Villa’s energy transition reflected a loss of confidence in the national grid.

“To say we are leaving the grid because we don’t trust it is not correct. The main objective is to reduce the huge amount of money spent on diesel and generator maintenance,” the official said.

He also noted that many of the generators currently used at the Villa had been in place since the complex was constructed in the early 1990s.

Budget documents reviewed by Saturday PUNCH show that the State House headquarters allocated about N5.35bn between 2023 and 2026 for electricity bills, generator fuel and maintenance.

The sharpest increase occurred after the removal of fuel subsidy in 2023, when generator fuel costs surged dramatically.

Fuel allocations rose from N30.68m in 2023 and N37.96m in 2024 to N1.99bn each in the 2025 and 2026 budgets, representing an increase of more than 5,000 per cent in two years.

Electricity charges for the Villa were budgeted at N360.25m in 2023, N260.85m in 2024, and N311.09m annually for 2025 and 2026, while generator maintenance allocations rose to N17.28m in the 2025 and 2026 budgets.

In total, the 2026 budget earmarked about N2.32bn for generator fuel, electricity and maintenance at the State House.

To address the rising costs, the Federal Government approved N17bn for the solarisation of the Presidential Villa, with N10bn allocated in 2025 and N7bn in the 2026 Appropriation Bill.

Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, had earlier defended the initiative, arguing that the move aligns with global practices.

“The White House in Washington D.C. also uses solar power,” Onanuga said.

Before the solar project began, the State House had accumulated electricity debts nearing N1bn.

In February 2024, the Abuja Electricity Distribution Company listed the Presidential Villa among top government debtors with an outstanding bill of N923.87m, although the amount was later reconciled and reduced to N342.35m, which was subsequently settled. (PUNCH)expressngr.com/account/news/create

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