Persistent power outages belie government’s repeated promises

…Pessimism greets power minister’s renewed pledge

…Customers decry ‘banding’ system

Across Nigeria, weeks of worsening power outages have crippled homes and businesses, forcing millions into a daily routine shaped by uncertainty. Freezers thaw, shops shut early, and entire neighbourhoods fall silent under the weight of a grid that has once again failed to deliver.

When Bayo Adelabu, minister of Power, stepped forward on Tuesday to apologise and promise a turnaround, it should have offered reassurance.

Instead, it was met with doubt.

“I can tell you, with the committee that we have set up, and commitments from gas suppliers, and the timeline for repair of the gas pipelines, two weeks from now, we should start seeing improvements in supply. Two weeks,” Adelabu said.

For many Nigerians, it sounded familiar, too familiar.

The promise of imminent improvement has become a recurring line in the government’s response to power crises. But with each repetition, and little visible change, public confidence has eroded.

“We’ve heard this ‘two weeks’ before,” Adenike Babatunde, a small business owner in Lagos, said. “It comes and goes, but the darkness stays.”

Read also: Why Nigeria’s electricity crisis is not about new laws or reforms

Power that never comes

Nigeria’s electricity paradox remains stark. While the country has an installed generation capacity of over 12,000 megawatts, actual output frequently falls below 4,000 megawatts, far short of what is needed to power a population of more than 200 million people. Energy experts say at least 30,000 megawatts of stable electricity is required to sustain economic growth and industrialisation.

The gap between capacity and reality is felt most acutely at the household level.

“We can go for days without light,” Olatunji Adio, a resident of Igando area of Lagos. “When it comes, it’s for maybe one or two hours. You can’t plan anything.”

Nigeria’s power sector, heavily dependent on gas-fired plants, has been repeatedly disrupted by gas supply constraints, pipeline maintenance challenges, and liquidity issues. Even when power is generated, transmission and distribution bottlenecks often prevent it from reaching consumers.

For households and businesses, alternatives are increasingly unaffordable. Petrol prices hover around N1,400 per litre, while diesel has climbed above N1,800, placing generator use beyond the reach of many. Solar power, a viable escape, remains too expensive for most Nigerians.

“Running a generator now is like running a second business,” said Femi, a barber. “A larger percentage of what I make goes into fuel.”

Anger spills into the streets

As outages persist, frustration is no longer confined to complaints, it is spilling into confrontation.

A viral video that began trending on Friday captures a group of women standing their ground against officials of an electricity distribution company who arrived to disconnect their supply. Speaking in Yoruba, the women accused the company of failing to provide electricity for months.

“We have not had light, yet, you still want to disconnect our wire? For three months you have not given us power. We all sleep outside now,” they said.

They formed a human shield around the ladder brought by the officials, preventing them from climbing the pole. When one official attempted to shove a woman aside, others quickly surrounded him, their resistance turning into a collective protest.

In another video, an enraged man confronted officials attempting a similar disconnection. “There is no money, no light, nothing… yet you still want to disconnect the power?” he said.

These moments capture a deeper shift, from quiet frustration to visible resistance. For many Nigerians, the issue is no longer just about power supply, but fairness.

“You can’t punish people for what you didn’t provide,” said Femi, earlier quoted. “Give us light first, then talk about disconnection.”

The banding divide

At the centre of the anger is the controversial banding system, which classifies consumers based on expected hours of electricity supply.

In theory, the system aligns tariffs with service levels. Band A customers are expected to receive up to 20 hours of electricity daily, while those in lower bands receive significantly less.

In practice, many consumers say the reality falls short of the promise.

“We are not even asking for 24 hours,” said Adenike, earlier quoted. “Just give us something consistent. Don’t put us in a lower band and then treat us like we don’t matter.”

For those in lower bands, many of whom are also unmetered, the system feels less like a framework for fairness and more like a hierarchy of access. They report receiving little to no power while still facing rising bills and the threat of disconnection.

Committees and broken trust

Government officials say efforts are underway to address the crisis. Adelabu noted that a committee has been set up to ensure gas suppliers meet their obligations to power plants.

“We already have a committee that is working on this to track compliance with the domestic supply obligations of these gas companies to our power plants,” he said, adding that improved payment flows would encourage supply.

But for many Nigerians, committees have become synonymous with delay rather than delivery.

“What we need is light, not meetings,” said a frozen food seller who now relies on generator to power her freezers. “Every time there’s a problem, they set up a committee. But nothing changes.”

A promise that lingers

The current crisis has also revived memories of a campaign promise made by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu before he was elected.

“By all means necessary, you must have electricity and you will not pay for estimated bill anymore,” Tinubu said.

He went further, tying the pledge to electoral accountability.

“If I couldn’t keep the promise and you, and I come back for a second time, don’t vote for me. That’s the truth. Unless I give you adequate reasons why I couldn’t deliver.”

Today, for many Nigerians navigating long nights without power, that promise feels increasingly distant.

Read also: Nigeria loses N40 trillion annually to poor electricity supply – NISO

Between endurance and revolt

There is a growing sense that patience is running out. For years, Nigerians have adapted buying generators, rationing power use, and adjusting daily routines. But as outages worsen and costs rise, adaptation is giving way to anger.

As the government renews its pledge and consumers brace for another uncertain wait, one reality remains unchanged: the lights are still off. And in the darkness, trust continues to flicker.