A new report by the World Bank has revealed that 39.4% of Nigerians still do not have access to electricity, directly contradicting recent claims made by the Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu.
The data was published in the World Bank’s April 2025 Poverty and Equity Brief, shedding light on the persistent energy access gap in Africa’s most populous nation.
Minister’s Claim Sparks Backlash
Earlier in April, Minister Adelabu had claimed that 150 million Nigerians have access to adequate electricity during a ministerial press briefing organized by the Ministry of Information and National Orientation. His statement was met with heavy criticism from the public and various stakeholders, including the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC).
In defense of the Minister’s statement, his spokesperson, Bolaji Tunji, explained to SaharaReporters that while electricity supply may be unreliable, “access” in this context meant that citizens are connected to the grid, regardless of the frequency or quality of power supply.
“There is access for 150 million people—even if the electricity may not be available to the extent they want it. We’re working to improve both access and reliability,” Tunji said.
NLC: Minister’s Statement Insults Nigerians’ Intelligence
In a sharp rebuttal, the NLC described the Minister’s claim as a “blatant insult” to the intelligence of Nigerians, citing the country’s inconsistent power generation, which averages only 5,500 megawatts—a figure far below global standards.
“For the Minister to suggest that over 150 million Nigerians have access to reliable electricity, when we struggle to generate just 5,000MW, is to mock the lived realities of Nigerians,” the NLC said in a statement.
They stressed that based on global benchmarks, Nigeria should be generating at least 150,000MW to meet its current population demand, not the paltry and erratic supply it currently manages.
Where Are the Power Plants? NLC Questions Infrastructure
The Congress questioned the infrastructure supporting the Minister’s claim:
- Where are the power plants that generate such capacity?
- Has the national grid been upgraded to handle this scale?
- Why do rural communities and many urban homes remain in darkness?
The NLC emphasized that millions of Nigerians—especially those in rural areas and underserved urban communities—continue to live without access to electricity.
Ongoing Challenges in Power Sector
Poor electricity access remains a long-standing issue in Nigeria, driven by:
- Outdated and insufficient infrastructure
- Corruption and mismanagement in the power sector
- A weak transmission network that cannot support industrial-scale output
The World Bank’s latest report only reinforces what many Nigerians have long expressed: power remains a major obstacle to economic growth and daily life in the country.
Saharareporters
