Households and businesses across Nigeria are struggling with worsening electricity supply as a persistent heatwave deepens hardship in many parts of the country.
Findings by Nigerian Mirror show that residents in Kano, Kaduna, Sokoto, Enugu, Benue, Oyo, Akwa Ibom, Taraba, Lagos and Ogun states have endured prolonged blackouts in recent weeks, forcing many to abandon reliance on public electricity and turn to generators and solar power.
Residents said the outages have made it difficult to carry out daily activities, while energy analysts warn that the situation highlights deeper structural problems in Nigeria’s power sector, including gas supply shortages, weak transmission infrastructure and chronic underinvestment.
For many Nigerians already grappling with rising living costs, the consequences have been immediate, with businesses shutting down, food spoiling and energy expenses increasing.
Severe outages across states
In Kano, residents of Unguwa Uku and Hotoro Dan Marke said electricity supply had dropped sharply in the past month.
Ahmad Ibrahim, a resident, said households sometimes receive electricity for barely one hour a day, often late 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 had forced many households to adopt alternative energy sources.
“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 described an even more severe situation, saying electricity supply in communities such as Mabera, Tamaje, Old Airport, Sahara, Emir Yahya and Tudun Wada had fallen to less than one hour daily.
Musa Abdullahi, a resident of Mabera, said the situation had worsened hardship during the Muslim fasting period of Ramadan.
“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 areas classified under the Band A electricity tariff — which is expected to provide at least 20 hours of electricity daily — were receiving far less.
Businesses hit hard
In Enugu state, where many consumers recently migrated to the higher Band A tariff, residents said electricity supply remained far below expectations.
Chinedu Okafor, a resident of Emene, said households were paying significantly higher tariffs while 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.
Amaka Nwosu, a small business owner in Nsukka, said the rising cost of running generators had reduced productivity.
“The cost of running generators is killing our business. Production has slowed and expenses keep rising,” she said.
In Makurdi, the capital of Benue state, residents said prolonged outages had forced some businesses to shut down.
Attah, a resident of the Adeke area, 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.
Residents in Akwa Ibom state also reported erratic power supply, with some communities receiving less than three hours of electricity daily.
Ekaete Akpan, a resident of Aka Etinan, said the inconsistent supply had severely affected small businesses.
“Even when electricity comes, it hardly lasts up to three hours,” she said.
Outages disrupt livelihoods
In Oyo state, residents in several communities in Ibadan said worsening electricity supply had disrupted economic activities.
A visit by Saturday PUNCH to communities including Moniya, Ojoo, Orogun, Mokola, Sango and Oke-Itunu showed widespread reliance on generators.
Kunle Ajala, a resident, said stable electricity had been unavailable for nearly a week.
“Even when power comes, it may not last up to three hours,” he said.
Bisi Adeoye, a barber, said unreliable electricity had severely affected his business.
“I depend on electricity for my business, but despite poor supply the electricity company still sends high bills,” he said.
Musbau Muritala, a welder, said many artisans had suspended work and turned to commercial motorcycle riding to survive.
“I cannot do anything without electricity. Sometimes power comes around midnight and disappears before morning,” he said.
In Kaduna state, residents reported losses of perishable food items stored in refrigerators due to repeated outages.
Martina Aji, a resident of the Sabo area in Chikun Local Government Area, said the blackout had caused food to spoil.
“Since last week, we have hardly had electricity. Food items, especially soup, have spoiled in my refrigerator,” she said.
In Taraba state, residents said electricity supply had fallen to between three and six hours daily.
Musa Ibrahim, a phone repair technician in Jalingo, said the outages had reduced his income.
“Sometimes we get power for only three hours. It affects my work and earnings,” he said.
Structural problems in power sector
Experts say the crisis reflects longstanding structural problems in Nigeria’s electricity sector.
Although the country has an installed generation capacity of more than 12,000 megawatts, actual output frequently falls below 4,000 megawatts — far below what is needed to power a population of more than 220 million.
Energy analysts estimate Nigeria requires at least 30,000 megawatts of stable electricity to support its population and industrial growth.
Frequent national grid collapses and transmission bottlenecks also limit the amount of electricity delivered to consumers.
The scale of the crisis is reflected in Nigeria’s heavy reliance on generators. Industry estimates suggest more than 80 million households and businesses depend on petrol or diesel generators, creating a backup power market worth more than $10 billion annually.
Gas shortages worsen outages
Electricity distribution companies say the situation has been worsened by gas supply shortages affecting power plants.
The Kaduna Electricity Distribution Company said 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 it had increased load shedding due to the constraints.
“We are currently experiencing a reduction in power supply due to gas supply constraints affecting power generation,” the company said.
Industry sources say several power generation companies are operating below capacity because of gas supply disruptions.
Presidential Villa tests solar project
Meanwhile, officials say the Aso Rock Presidential Villa has not yet disconnected from the national grid despite ongoing investment in solar power.
Senior State House officials told Saturday PUNCH that a solar power facility recently installed at the complex is still undergoing technical testing.
The development comes after the State House permanent secretary earlier told a Senate committee that the Villa would fully transition away from the grid by March.
According to officials, the solar system has not yet reached full operational capacity.
The federal government approved about 17 billion naira (about $11 million) for the solarization project, which aims to reduce the cost of electricity and diesel used to power generators at the presidential complex.
Officials say the project will 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.
Government budget documents show the State House allocated about 5.35 billion naira between 2023 and 2026 for electricity bills, generator fuel and maintenance.
The cost of generator fuel rose sharply after the removal of fuel subsidies in 2023, with fuel allocations increasing from about 30.68 million naira in 2023 to nearly 2 billion naira annually in the 2025 and 2026 budgets.
Officials say the solar project is intended primarily to reduce those costs rather than signal a lack of confidence in the national electricity grid.
