Prince Adewole Adebayo, the presidential candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) for the 2027 general elections, has proposed the establishment of thousands of decentralised electricity systems as part of measures to address Nigeria’s persistent power crisis.

Adebayo, in his book, Farewell to Poverty and Insecurity, outlined a two-track approach involving continued expansion and modernisation of the national grid alongside rapid development of mini-grids, embedded generation and stand-alone power systems.

He said the strategy would involve “continued expansion and modernisation of the national grid alongside rapid development of mini-grids, embedded generation and stand-alone power systems.”

Under the proposed National Distributed Electricity Initiative, Adebayo said states, local governments, communities, cooperatives, farms, schools, hospitals, markets and businesses would be encouraged to develop electricity systems suited to their local needs.

According to him, “states, local governments, communities, cooperatives, farms, schools, hospitals, markets and businesses would be encouraged to develop electricity systems suited to their local needs.”

He noted that the initiative would utilise different sources of energy, including solar, small hydro, wind, biomass, natural gas and hybrid systems.

Adebayo proposed the development of “tens of thousands of such systems within four years,” saying the initiative could help extend reliable electricity to underserved communities while reducing pressure on the national grid and transmission losses.

The SDP candidate also proposed dedicated power arrangements for industrial parks, manufacturing clusters, agro-processing centres, technology parks, hospitals and universities.

He said these facilities could be served through “embedded generation, captive plants and independent power projects.”

Adebayo further proposed the establishment of a Bank of Electricity, which would provide long-term, single-digit financing for mini-grids, embedded generation and the local manufacture of electricity equipment.

The proposed financing institution would support the production of “transformers, meters, cables, solar panels, batteries, inverters and other electricity equipment.”

On manpower development, Adebayo proposed transforming the National Power Training Institute into a broader electricity and renewable-energy training network for “engineers, technicians, artisans and other participants in the sector.”

He said the decentralised electricity proposal was not intended to replace the national grid, but to complement continued investment in generation, transmission and distribution infrastructure.

According to the book, the strategy would also involve “improved metering, reduced technical and commercial losses and better grid management.”

On electricity billing, Adebayo proposed stronger consumer protection, accurate metering and enforceable service standards, including the principle that “consumers should not be charged for electricity that is not supplied.”