Across cities, towns and villages, darkness now defines daily life as epileptic power supply continues to cripple businesses, frustrate households and deepen economic hardship. Many Nigerians need electrical appliances to run their daily businesses: artisans like welders, printers, photographers, cyber café operators, barbers, hairdressers, tailors or even petty traders, who also sell soft drinks and water, groan.
From Lagos to Ibadan, Kano to Port Harcourt, countless business owners wake up each day uncertain whether they will have enough electricity to survive another working day. This is to say that the problem is a general one affecting almost every part of Nigeria.
Those without alternative power sources are gradually shutting down, while others who still want to struggle through it all spend huge amounts on fuel and generators just to stay afloat.
For small-scale entrepreneur, Mrs. Boladale Adeyemi, who runs a frozen food business at Monatan, via Iwo Road, Ibadan, the electricity crisis has become a nightmare.
‘There are days we only get light for two or three hours,’ she lamented.
‘Sometimes we stay in darkness for two straight days, yet they still bring heavy electricity bills every month. I spend more money buying fuel than making profit.’
According to her, several cartons of fish and chicken had gone bad repeatedly due to unstable power supply.
‘I have had to throw some of these goods away when they go bad. I am running this business on loans and that is what makes me sad every time,’ she lamented.
‘Customers do not care whether there was electricity supply or not. Once your goods spoil, you lose your money,’ she added.
Like Mrs Adeyemi, thousands of Nigerians now depend almost entirely on generators to power their homes and businesses. However, the soaring cost of petrol and diesel has made generator usage nearly unbearable. Some people are turning to inverters and solar energy which are not cheap at all.
The average solar bulb costs nothing less than N10,000. The inverter prices vary widely depending on the capacity, brand, and whether it’s a basic or a hybrid solar inverter. The least is N250,000 while the highest can go for over N2million.
Not many Nigerians are buoyant enough to get these, which makes the situation more devastating.
Mr Khalid Adewale, a welder in Lagos State, spoke via the telephone on how the erratic power supply affects him, said inconsistent electricity has drastically reduced his income.
‘I cannot work without power because my machines require electricity. They are heavy machines,’ he explained.
‘Fuel is too expensive now. Some customers even complain when you increase charges because they too are suffering.
‘Making doors now is expensive due to the costs of iron rods and imagine using petrol to do the job. You can imagine how much I will have to add so as to make small profit. People complain that our prices are too high but what can we do?’ he said in Yoruba.
He disclosed that many artisans around him have either reduced operations or abandoned their businesses entirely.
Nigeria’s electricity crisis is not new, but many citizens believe conditions have worsened in recent years. Despite repeated promises by successive governments to improve power generation and distribution, millions of Nigerians still live in darkness. Nigerians are still paying for services that are not rendered. Ironically, many households without prepaid metres continue to receive estimated bills monthly, a situation that has generated widespread anger among consumers.
Residents complain that electricity distribution companies often issue arbitrary bills even when there is little or no supply. Citizens frequently lament and electricity providers are always accused of prioritising billing over service delivery.
The situation has become more painful amid rising electricity tariffs, poor service delivery and the continued absence of prepaid metres in many homes.
Nigerians are increasingly being forced to pay outrageous estimated bills despite receiving little or no electricity supply. In some communities, people contribute money to repair transformers, purchase poles and fix damaged electrical equipment themselves, despite paying electricity bills.
Mr Ugochukwu Eze, a resident of Oke Bola in Ìbàdàn, said he has applied for a prepaid metre for over three years without success.
‘They keep promising us metres, but nothing happens,’ he said. ‘Every month they bring estimated bills higher than my house rent. Sometimes there is no light for weeks.
‘I heard recently that it is cheaper now, I think around #50,000. I will try and apply again. Still, it doesn’t mean they will bring light regularly but at least I won’t be paying for what I didn’t use anymore,’ he said.
Many Nigerians, like Mr Eze, see prepaid meters as a solution to exploitative billing, but the slow pace of meter distribution continues to frustrate consumers nationwide.
The absence of stable electricity is also taking a heavy toll on students and education. Many students struggle to read at night or charge devices needed for academic work. For undergraduate student Esther Afolabi, studying has become increasingly difficult. Esther is a nursing student.
‘We spend more time in darkness than with electricity,’ she said. ‘Sometimes I have assignments to submit, but my phone and laptop are dead because there is no power.’
Still, parents expect excellence from these children,
Healthcare delivery is also under pressure. Small hospitals and clinics now spend huge amounts running generators to preserve drugs, power medical equipment and attend to patients. These are organisations that have received no government support.
Experts warn that the worsening electricity crisis is contributing significantly to unemployment and poverty.
Economic analysts have emphasised that unreliable electricity will discourage investment and weaken productivity. No economy in the world can thrive without stable power.
Businesses will always rely on electricity for production, communication and operations. When power fails consistently, production costs will automatically rise and many companies will definitely collapse.
There is no gainsaying that foreign investors are often discouraged by Nigeria’s unstable electricity supply. Many manufacturers have relocated to neighbouring countries where electricity is more stable and affordable. This can only mean one thing if it is not addressed: collapse of the economy
Over the years, successive administrations have announced reforms, privatisation programmes, and interventions aimed at improving electricity supply. Yet millions of Nigerians still rely on rechargeable lamps, and noisy generators.
The power sector privatisation introduced with high expectations has not delivered the desired transformation. Distribution companies continue to face criticism over poor infrastructure, inadequate metering and inability to supply consistent electricity.
The hardship caused by poor electricity supply extends beyond economics. It also affects mental health, family life and general wellbeing.
Many Nigerians now sleep in uncomfortable heat due to lack of electricity to power fans and air conditioners. The change in climate all over the world has made the heat in the country unbearable for many. Food preservation has become difficult, leading to waste and financial losses. Parents worry about children having heat-related illnesses.
In rural communities, the situation is often worse. Some villages remain disconnected from the national grid entirely even in the 21st century!
Despite the widespread frustration, many Nigerians still hold onto hope that the country’s electricity sector can improve. Stakeholders have repeatedly called for urgent investment in power infrastructure, transparent regulation and accelerated meter distribution.
The citizens are also demanding an end to estimated billing and improved accountability from electricity distribution companies.
Some energy experts believe that diversifying Nigeria’s energy sources through solar and renewable energy investments could help reduce dependence on the struggling national grid.
For ordinary Nigerians struggling daily under the weight of darkness, promises alone are no longer enough.