Former Kogi West senator, Dino Melaye, has criticised the state of Nigeria’s electricity sector, describing it as a long-standing governance failure backed by troubling statistics.
In a Facebook post on March 25, 2026, Melaye noted that although Nigeria began generating electricity as far back as 1896, the country continues to struggle with inadequate supply. He pointed out that as of March 2026, the national grid was producing only about 3,940 megawatts for an estimated population of 220 million people.
Drawing comparisons with other African nations, he stated that South Africa generates over 48,000 megawatts for about 60 million people, while Egypt has approximately 59,000 megawatts of installed capacity serving over 100 million citizens. Nigeria, he said, has an installed capacity of about 13,000 megawatts but is only able to transmit between 4,000 and 5,000 megawatts on most days.
Melaye also highlighted the persistent instability of the national grid. According to him, the grid collapsed 12 times in 2024 alone, while 128 transmission towers were vandalised within the same period, costing the government about N8.8 billion in repairs. He further cited records from the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission indicating that between 2010 and 2022, the country experienced at least 222 partial and total grid collapses.
The former lawmaker drew attention to the financial implications of these failures, noting that restarting key power plants such as Azura, Delta, and Shiroro after each collapse costs about $25 million. He added that the power sector’s debt to generation companies stood at N6.8 trillion as of February 2026, with the figure increasing monthly.
Melaye explained that a significant portion of the debt is owed to gas suppliers, leading to reduced gas supply to thermal plants. As a result, power generation remains constrained, with plants receiving less than half of the gas required for optimal operation.
He further stated that Nigerians rely heavily on alternative energy sources, spending an estimated $14 billion annually on generators. According to him, about 22 million generators across the country collectively produce far more electricity than the national grid.
Melaye linked the power challenges to broader economic consequences, including factory closures, job losses, and reduced industrial productivity. He stressed that frequent outages cost the country billions of dollars annually and hinder economic growth.
He concluded by asserting that Nigeria’s electricity challenges are rooted in governance issues rather than a lack of resources or technical capacity. Read_More…