Blackout: Nigerians React to Poor Power Supply amid Higher Electricity Tariffs, Increased Generation
- Some band A customers are demanding to be downgraded to lower bands, as the DisCos have failed to meet their part of the bargain
- Customers across different service areas in Lagos, Abuja, and Kaduna have complained of experiencing days of blackouts with no power
- Historically, electricity demands during the hot seasons of the year are higher, and place more responsibility on the DisCos
Legit.ng journalist Ruth Okwumbu-Imafidon has over a decade of experience in business reporting across digital and mainstream media.
Barely weeks after the Nigerian power sector achieved a new record in power generation, Nigerians have been experiencing prolonged blackout for days without explanation.
This has triggered reactions from people, especially customers on the Band A feeder who pay more for electricity, and expect to get at least 20 hours of power supply daily.
Reports show that customers in some states are protesting online and offline, demanding answers from the electricity distribution companies with which they directly interface.
Source: UGC
FG achieves new high in power generation
Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, announced that the power sector had finally achieved the 6,000MW target, recording a peak of 6,003MW, a daily maximum energy output of 128,370.75 MWh, and a peak generation evacuation of 5,801MW.
While Nigerians expected the initiative to translate into increased electricity supply, the situation has been different, especially with average power generation dropping to 5,000MW.
Daily Trust reports that the minister recently blamed the DisCos' refusal to invest in their distribution network for the poor power supply despite increased generation.
Adelabu pointed out that this has led to them using outdated materials to fix the feeders, and sometimes removing the good parts from feeders that serve lower band customers to fix for those at higher bands.
Customers demand to be downgraded to Band B
A customer on the Band-A feeder in Garki Area 11, Abdullahi Ahmad, said he was tired of being on the Band-A feeder, paying outrageous bills, and receiving poor supply.
Mr. Ahmad noted that the Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC) had failed to meet the power supply requirement for the band.
Where the DisCo is required to provide a minimum of 20 hours of power supply for at least 15 days of the month, Ahmad noted that they had been receiving between 8 and 19 hours of supply for the last month.
He said;
“It is obvious that AEDC is not able to meet the minimum 20 hours supply to this area. Why should we still be on Band A? My monthly bill is an average of N3m. Same with most of the others on this feeder. This is the same with customers in the Life Camp area. Everyone is aware of this trend.”
Mr. Paul Emmanuel, a customer in Kubwa, also told Daily Trust that the area had been in blackout for more than five days, due to faulty feeders, and called on the DisCo to quickly address the issue.
Even in Lagos, customers across different bands under the Ikeja Electricity Distribution Companies (IKEDC) and the Eko Electricity Distribution Companies (EEDC) have also complained of power disruption.
A Band-A customer in Agege, Mr. Niyi Ademola, noted that they hardly received up to 12 hours of power supply on any given day, and had been in total blackout for more than three days.
Legit.ng confirmed that customers in areas like Agege, Ojodu, Agidingbi, Gbagada, Oregun, Ikeja, and others have experienced major power supply disruptions in the last week.
A Band-A customer in Somolu, Mr. Akintola, confirmed that there had barely been up to 5 hours of power supply in over a week.
Others under Apapa, Festac, Ojo, Ajah, and other areas under EKEDC have also been affected.
Source: Twitter
DisCos blame faulty feeders
The AEDC, on its official X handle, announced up to 25 power outages within March, blaming it on faulty feeders.
The spokesman for Ikeja DisCo, Kingsley Okotie, also confirmed that the supply disruptions were due to faults in a source feeder from Ogba Transmission, but assured that they were being fixed.
He also disclosed that major supply issues on the TCN Ikeja West Line caused a drop in the power supply and subsequent load-shedding.
Blackout as national grid collapses again
In related news by Legit.ng, some parts of Lagos State were thrown into a blackout following a system outage on the national grid.
Legit.ng gathered that Nigeria's power generation dropped below 1,000MW at about 2 pm on Friday, March 7, 2025.
Ikeja Electricity Distribution Company and Eko Electricity Distribution Company confirmed the power outage in Lagos State.
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Source: Legit.ng
