40% of Nigerians Now Enjoy 20-Hour Daily Power Supply – Power Minister

• As Electricity Market Faces ₦385bn Debt Crisis

• Adelabu Highlights Power Sector Achievements and Future Goals

• NERC Report Reveals Deficit and Unresolved Consumer Complaints

'Seun Ibukun-Oni, Abuja 

Agatha Chitumu, Abuja 

DAILY COURIER — The Minister of Power, Chief Adebayo Adelabu, has announced significant improvements in Nigeria’s power supply, revealing that over 40% of the population now enjoys up to 20 hours of electricity daily. This achievement comes within a year of implementing various reforms, with the support of President Bola Tinubu's administration.

Adelabu credited the milestone to the ministry's strategic efforts, which have boosted power generation, transmission, and distribution capacities across the nation. He noted that Nigeria now generates over 5,500 megawatts of electricity, with the installed generation capacity increasing from 13,000 megawatts to over 14,000 megawatts. This improvement is largely due to the commissioning of new hydroelectric plants and upgrades to existing facilities, such as the Zungeru hydroelectric power plant.

“We've seen a significant improvement in power supply compared to when we took office,” Adelabu said in a statement. “Over 40% of customers now receive more than 20 hours of regular electricity, and we aim to push that number even higher.”

The minister highlighted the administration's focus on stable electricity as part of President Tinubu's Renewed Hope Agenda, which seeks to drive industrialization and economic growth through consistent energy supply.

To further strengthen the sector, Adelabu outlined key initiatives, including the enactment of the 2023 Electricity Act, which decentralizes and liberalizes the power market. This move is expected to foster competition, improve market liquidity, and attract private investments.

Infrastructure upgrades have also played a vital role in improving electricity delivery. The ministry has installed numerous transformers and mobile substations to enhance distribution capacity. Additionally, the Presidential Metering Initiative, which aims to close the country's metering gap by installing over 10 million meters in five years, has gained momentum with support from the World Bank’s Distribution Recovery Program.

Despite the progress, Adelabu acknowledged that more work remains to be done, stating, “Our goal is to ensure that a larger proportion of our population is electrified, industries benefit from stable power, and job creation is facilitated.”

NERC Report: ₦385bn Debt and ₦151bn Deficit Plague Nigeria's Electricity Market

A DAILY COURIER report disclosed that while the power supply in Nigeria is showing signs of improvement, the country's electricity market is grappling with a financial crisis. The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) revealed in its 2023 annual report that the electricity market incurred a ₦151.30 billion deficit last year, alongside an outstanding consumer debt of ₦385.73 billion.

The report shows that distribution companies (DisCos) were issued a total invoice of ₦858.03 billion for energy received from the Nigerian Bulk Electricity Trading (NBET) and service charges from the market operator (MO). However, DisCos managed to remit only ₦706.73 billion, leading to an overall remittance performance of 82.37%.

NERC further disclosed that the total billing to electricity consumers in 2023 amounted to ₦1,463.24 billion, but only ₦1,077.51 billion was collected, leaving a significant debt of ₦385.73 billion. Collection efficiency stood at 73.64%, with notable discrepancies in performance among DisCos.

Eko and Yola DisCos posted strong remittance rates of 105.76% and 105.14%, respectively, while Kaduna DisCo recorded the lowest remittance rate at just 17.59%.

Customer complaints about service quality, particularly related to metering, billing, and interruptions, made up the bulk of grievances filed with NERC. Out of 7,207 complaints received, 82.82% concerned these issues, with NERC resolving 70.31% of the cases.

The commission also revealed that only 44.39% of registered customers were metered as of December 31, 2023, with DisCos installing 672,539 new meters during the year, including those under the National Mass Metering Program and the Meter Asset Provider framework.

Despite the financial strain, NERC remains committed to addressing service issues and improving collection efficiency. The introduction of new frameworks and programs is expected to close the metering gap and stabilize market operations in the coming years.