Get Guardian on Google• APC cites N4tr bond, 1.5m meters, grid projects to defend administration
• Ex-VP: Bonds cannot replace reliable power, demands fairer tariff regime
• Nnaji says Nigeria needs 100,000MW for growth, faults 2013 privatisation
PRESIDENT Bola Tinubu’s electricity record has faced renewed criticism ahead of the 2027 general elections, with his campaign council defending the administration’s reforms, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar accusing it of failing to deliver on its campaign promise, and Peter Obi pledging to generate, transmit and distribute at least 10,000 megawatts (MW) if elected president.
This came as former Minister of Power, Prof. Bart Nnaji, said Nigeria requires at least 100,000MW to achieve significant economic growth and compete with emerging economies such as Brazil and Indonesia.
In a statement yesterday, spokesperson of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Council (PCC) and Minister of Solid Minerals, Dele Alake, insisted that Tinubu remained committed to fulfilling his campaign promise of stable and reliable electricity supply, despite the challenges confronting the sector.
Alake urged Nigerians to assess the President’s pledge in its entirety, including his undertaking to provide adequate explanations for any failure to deliver before seeking a second term.
During the build-up to the 2023 presidential election, Tinubu had promised to ensure stable electricity supply across the country and challenged Nigerians not to re-elect him if he failed to fulfil the commitment without satisfactory explanations.
Alake recalled the President’s, saying: “Whichever way, by all means necessary, you will have electricity, and you will not pay for estimated bills anymore. A promise made will be a promise kept. If I don’t keep the promise and I come for a second term, don’t vote for me, unless I give you adequate reasons why I couldn’t deliver.”
He argued that some recent public commentary had reproduced the campaign pledge without its concluding qualification, maintaining that a fair assessment should consider the full statement alongside the administration’s record since 2023.
“While fixing the power sector crisis remains unfinished, the President is working consistently to deliver on his promise to Nigerians, and his commitment to face the challenges head-on has never diminished,” he said.
The APC PCC said Tinubu had taken deliberate steps to address longstanding challenges in the sector, beginning with the signing of the Electricity Act, 2023, on June 9, barely two weeks after assuming office.
According to Alake, the legislation liberalised the power sector, allowing state governments to participate in electricity generation, distribution and transmission. He listed Lagos, Enugu, Abia, Ekiti, Oyo, Kaduna and Niger among states that had established their own electricity regulatory agencies to attract private investment.
The council also said the administration had taken responsibility for more than N6tr in legacy debts accumulated between 2015 and 2025, while introducing the Presidential Metering Initiative to address a national metering gap of more than seven million customers.
It disclosed that more than 1.5 million customers had been metered under the initiative in the last three years.
On outstanding obligations to operators, Alake said the government had established a N4tr bond programme to settle verified legacy debts owed to 21 electricity-generating and gas companies.
He disclosed that the first and second tranches had raised more than N1.2tr to settle part of the verified liabilities, adding that the intervention was reducing market risks and encouraging fresh investments by generation companies.
He cited Geregu Power Plc’s recent investment in new transformers to improve operations at its Geregu 1 Power Plant as evidence of growing confidence in the sector.
On transmission infrastructure, Alake said Tinubu had reviewed the Presidential Power Initiative inherited from the administration of the late President Muhammadu Buhari and signed an acceleration agreement with German partners in December 2023 to fast-track projects aimed at strengthening the national grid.
He said the Federal Executive Council (FEC) approved the first batch of five Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) substations for upgrades in December 2024, with the projects expected to be commissioned before the end of the administration’s first term.
In June 2026, the FEC approved another batch involving the construction of eight new substations and the upgrading of four existing ones in targeted locations.
The APC PCC also cited plans to modernise the more than 60-year-old Osogbo Grid Control Centre and construct an East-West super grid. It added that the Rural Electrification Agency had connected universities, hospitals and rural communities to solar power.
On electricity tariffs, Alake said the administration had moved towards cost-reflective rates to improve liquidity in the market while introducing measures to protect low-income consumers.
He explained that the introduction of service bands with different tariffs was intended to improve the financial viability of distribution companies, strengthen cash flow and reduce the government’s burden of electricity subsidies.
Atiku: Legislation, bond schemes can’t replace reliable electricity, faults tariff regime
HOWEVER, Atiku dismissed the APC’s defence, accusing the ruling party of highlighting legislation, bond programmes and project approvals without addressing the persistent electricity shortages experienced by households and businesses.
In a statement yesterday, issued by Phrank Shaibu, Director of Strategic Communication of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) Presidential Campaign Council, the former vice president said Nigerians needed dependable electricity rather than repeated announcements about government interventions.
“The APC should spare Nigerians the spectacle of celebrating paperwork while homes and businesses remain in darkness,” he said.
Atiku argued that families continued to spend scarce resources on alternative sources of power, while traders and small business owners struggled to sustain their operations amid rising energy costs.
He also faulted the electricity tariff structure, which categorises consumers into Bands A, B, C, D and E, arguing that customers across the different categories continued to experience unreliable supply despite paying varying rates.
He specifically cited the approximately N209.50 per kilowatt-hour charged to some Band A customers before Value Added Tax (VAT), questioning why consumers should pay higher tariffs without receiving corresponding improvements in electricity supply.
The former vice president also demanded clarification on the Federal Government’s plan to discontinue electricity subsidies from 2027, asking how the proposed withdrawal would affect household and business electricity bills.
Although the government had given assurances that there would be no immediate tariff increase, Atiku said Nigerians deserved to know the implications of ending the subsidies.
He pledged to work with state governments and relevant regulators, within the provisions of the law, to replace the existing electricity band system with what he described as a fairer, more transparent and affordable framework.
Such an arrangement, he said, would protect households and ensure that electricity distribution companies were accountable for the quality and quantity of power delivered to consumers.
Recalling Tinubu’s campaign promise ahead of the 2023 election, Atiku quoted the President as saying: “If I don’t give you constant electricity for four years, when I come back for a second term, don’t vote for me.”
He argued that Nigerians had now lived through the period covered by the promise and should judge the administration by its performance.
Atiku also questioned the administration’s bond programme, insisting that settling outstanding debts owed to generation companies was different from investing in new electricity generation infrastructure.
He further claimed that the Tinubu administration had yet to construct new generation infrastructure of its own that could significantly increase the country’s electricity generation capacity.
“Paying old debts is not the same as building new power infrastructure. Bonds cannot be presented as a substitute for power in people’s homes,” he said.
He also raised concerns over VAT on electricity and the proposed five per cent surcharge on certain fossil fuels, including petrol and diesel, under the Nigeria Tax Act, arguing that consumers deserved clarity on possible additional energy-related charges.
In a direct response to the APC’s defence, Atiku maintained that legislative approvals, financial arrangements and project announcements should not be mistaken for actual improvements in electricity supply.
“Dele Alake’s statement cannot light a home. Signing a law is not electricity. Raising a bond is not electricity. Approving a project is not power delivered,” he said.
Obi pledges 10,000MW generation, transmission, distribution if elected
MEANWHILE, Peter Obi, presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), has promised to generate, transmit and distribute at least 10,000MW if elected president in 2027.
The former Anambra State governor made the pledge at a town hall meeting in Enugu, where he outlined his plans to address insecurity, corruption, unemployment and other challenges confronting the country.
He identified electricity as a major priority, arguing that reliable power supply was essential to reviving industries, creating jobs and stimulating economic activities.
As I promised, we will generate, transmit and distribute at least 10,000 megawatts of electricity, because we want industrial work,” he said.
Obi also pledged to declare emergencies in education and the fight against corruption, improve access to primary healthcare and ensure greater transparency and accountability in public spending.
He urged Nigerians not to lose hope in the country, describing the 2027 election as an opportunity to address its economic and security challenges.
Nnaji: Nigeria needs 100,000MW for economic growth, blames flawed privatisation, gas shortages
PROVIDING a broader assessment of the electricity crisis, Nnaji said Nigeria needed at least 100,000MW to achieve significant economic growth and compete with emerging economies such as Brazil and Indonesia.
Nnaji, who expressed concern over the country’s persistent power shortages, attributed the sector’s poor performance to irregularities surrounding the 2013 privatisation exercise, mounting government debts, inadequate gas supply and the absence of investment guarantees.
He spoke at the weekend while delivering the keynote address at the Lagos Country Club Business Forum 3.0 in Ikeja, Lagos, themed, “Energy Costs and Business Survival: Driving Profitability amid Nigeria’s Power Crisis”.
According to him, Nigeria has the capacity to generate about 13,000MW, but only between 4,000MW and 5,000MW is available on the national grid, partly because of deteriorating transmission infrastructure.
He said the country’s ambition to become a major economic power would remain difficult to realise without massive investment across electricity generation, transmission and distribution.
“Nigeria needs at least 100,000MW to become a higher-medium economy. This is my figure by looking at countries that we like to compare notes with, such as Brazil and Indonesia,” he said.
The former minister maintained that the required investment could only be mobilised through private sector participation supported by an enabling government environment.
He criticised the circumstances surrounding the privatisation of the defunct Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN), arguing that the exercise was driven largely by investors seeking immediate and excessive returns rather than a commitment to developing the electricity industry.
“The strong desire for immediate and humongous profits from the sector led to the enormous abuses the nation witnessed during the privatisation of Power Holding Company of Nigeria assets in 2013,” he said.
In his welcome address, President of Lagos Country Club, Seyi Adewunmi, identified improved gas supply, adequate infrastructure, maintenance of existing power plants and investment in gas-fired, hydroelectric and renewable energy sources as priorities for strengthening electricity generation.
He also called for accelerated investment in transmission and distribution infrastructure, including power lines, substations, transformers and modern grid management systems, to address bottlenecks and reduce technical and commercial losses.
Adewunmi advocated decentralised electricity solutions under the Electricity Act, 2023, citing the Aba Integrated Power Project as an example of how integrated power systems could serve specific economic communities.
He further called for commercial discipline, transparency and accountability across the electricity value chain, including improved metering, an end to estimated billing, transparent tariffs and stronger measures against electricity theft and avoidable losses.
He said subsidies for vulnerable Nigerians should be properly targeted and transparently funded, while electricity companies required adequate revenue to maintain infrastructure and provide reliable services.
He added that resolving the crisis required a collective commitment involving government, regulators, financial institutions and energy companies.
“For the true measure of power sector reform is not the megawatts announced in speeches, but the reliable electricity delivered to our factories, our offices and our homes,” he said.
