By Charles Ude Esq, Abuja-based legal practitioner and public opinion analyst
In a bitter twist of irony, even the Presidential Villa now runs on solar power — a quiet confession that Nigeria’s national grid is no longer fit for purpose. If the seat of government has effectively abandoned public electricity, what hope is left for ordinary citizens?
Under the current Minister of Power, the nation's electricity supply has gone from bad to worse. Outages are constant. Tariffs are skyrocketing. The national grid collapses like a house of cards — sometimes multiple times in a single year. What is perhaps most damning is the inexplicable fragility of the system: when it rains, power disappears like wet charcoal — silent, cold, and lifeless. It’s almost as if the infrastructure is allergic to moisture. Days can pass before supply is restored, as though the wires themselves must “dry off” before they work again.
This is not just inconvenient. It is embarrassing. It is unacceptable. And it is inexcusable.
My experience is based in Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory — the heart of the nation and supposedly the most privileged in terms of infrastructure. Yet even here, blackouts are a daily reality. If the capital suffers this level of dysfunction, one can only imagine the situation in other parts of the country. In my hometown of Abiriba, Abia State, electricity is practically non-existent. Power there is not a utility — it is a myth. And this is the story for countless other communities across Nigeria.
Meanwhile, instead of fixing the system, the government has introduced a new tariff structure, promising premium service to those who pay more. Band A customers now pay over ₦200 per kilowatt-hour, yet they still endure blackouts. Others remain trapped in the injustice of estimated billing, where people are charged for electricity they never consumed. This is not reform; it is extortion.
Nigerians, ever resilient, have begun turning to solar panels and inverter systems — just as they once turned to mobile phones when NITEL became a national embarrassment. But this is not a solution available to all. The wealthy can escape the collapse of the grid; the poor cannot. Many now spend their meager incomes buying petrol — first for their vehicles, then for their generators — caught in a cycle of poverty powered by fuel.
Even worse, there appears to be no plan to reverse this decay. The Electricity Act of 2023 granted states the power to build and manage their own electricity systems — a move welcomed by many. But since then, the Ministry of Power has failed to offer leadership, coordination, or support. There is no national vision. No urgency. No direction.
And so, when the rains fall, the lights go out. When citizens complain, the Ministry remains silent. And when even Aso Rock installs solar panels, we must ask: what is left to defend?
The Minister of Power has failed — in both duty and delivery. The honorable path is clear: resignation. Stepping down would not be an admission of shame, but a signal that public office is tied to public performance. In a country where failure too often carries no consequence, it would restore a measure of accountability.
Nigeria deserves better. The people deserve light — and leadership.
Let the Minister go, so that the lights may one day stay on.
