Akin Bello

For the purpose of education, let me put a few things into perspective. There is a caveat to the statement you just quoted, and it is important that we quote the President correctly. In his full words, Tinubu said.. “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.” Now, let’s examine the electricity situation beyond campaign soundbites. Nigeria needs in excess of about 60,000MW to have uninterrupted power supply. Yet, we have an installed generation capacity of approximately 13,625MW. Even more concerning, only about 4,089MW was available for dispatch in September 2026, while actual average generation during Q2 was approximately 4,100MW. Think about that gap🤔 The electricity crisis is a structural problem that has accumulated over decades. The challenges run through virtually every layer of the value chain… gas supply, generation, transmission, distribution and revenue collection. As of February 2026, GenCos were reportedly owed approximately N6.8 trillion. Of this, about N3.3 trillion was owed to gas suppliers. This is one reason gas suppliers have threatened to cut supplies to thermal power plants. On the distribution side, DisCos have struggled with revenue collection, commercial losses and inadequate metering. NERC’s Q2 2026 report puts collection efficiency at approximately 81%, while aggregate distribution losses remain significant. Transmission infrastructure also needs substantial investment and modernisation. Although TCN has stated that its wheeling capacity has increased to 8,700MW.. having the capacity to transmit electricity does not automatically mean sufficient electricity is being generated and delivered to consumers. There is also the question of electricity tariffs. For years, artificially suppressed tariffs and government subsidy obligations have contributed to the sector’s liquidity crisis. You cannot sustainably operate a capital intensive industry when the revenue coming into the system is insufficient to cover its costs. Before President Tinubu came in, electricity was largely controlled at the federal level, with states restricted from legislating on electricity in areas covered by the national grid. In 2023, the President Tinubu signed the Electricity Act, alongside the constitutional changes that expanded the powers of state governments. What does this mean? States can now establish their own electricity markets, regulate intra-state electricity generation, transmission and distribution, issue licences through their regulatory authorities and attract private investment into independent power projects. This is a significant departure from the old centralised structure. States no longer have to sit back and wait for the Federal government to solve every electricity problem within their territories. State governments now have an opportunity to attract investors and develop independent power projects. Governors should be asked what plans they have for electricity generation, how they intend to attract private investment, what regulatory frameworks they are establishing and what progress they are making towards improving electricity supply in their states. Of course, we must be realistic. Nobody should expect governors to dismantle decades of infrastructural deficiencies within three or four years. Building power plants, transmission networks and distribution infrastructure requires enormous capital, long term planning and sustained investment. But the fact that the problem cannot be solved overnight does not excuse inaction. The Federal Government has its responsibilities, and state governments now have theirs.