The Electricity Consumer Protection Advocacy Centre has faulted the Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu’s claim that approximately 150 million Nigerians now have access to adequate electricity, while 80 million still lack reliable power.
Adelabu made the claim during the 2025 Ministerial Sectoral Update Conference held in Abuja on Thursday.
He stated that the progress stems from Nigeria’s participation in the “Mission 300” initiative—an ambitious joint effort by the World Bank and the African Development Bank (AfDB), aimed at providing electricity access to 300 million Africans by 2030.
However, consumer advocates argued that the data lacked transparency and accuracy.
ECPAC’s Executive Director, Chief Princewill Okorie, described the minister’s claim as a “lie” to Nigerians.
Okorie questioned the source of the minister’s data, saying it was not reliable.
He said, “What is the source of that data? It is not just about quoting figures. What validates that data? As I am talking to you, I don’t have light in my house. They only brought it at midnight, and it was turned off again after over three hours. The way they are deceiving Nigerians, I don’t understand.”
“Where did he carry out the research that gave him such a figure? Why is he not engaging Civil Society Organisations? Since he assumed office over a year ago, has he carried out any consumer engagement?”
“We have been advocating for a consumer protection unit in the ministry, just as they have for distribution, generation, and transmission. Such a unit would help ascertain the true position of things and prevent situations where Nigerians are misled.”
According to the National Bureau of Statistics’ Q2 2024 report, the total number of electricity customers stood at just 12.99 million, up from 12.33 million in Q1 of the same year.
Also, the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission reported that, as of 30 September 2024, 6,156,726 customers had been metered, leaving 7,182,909 customers still unmetered—constituting approximately 53.85% of the total registered customers.
Nigeria’s electricity customer base has shown consistent growth over the past few years, according to NBS figures.
The data reveals that electricity customer numbers in Nigeria have steadily increased from 10.37 million in 2020 to 12.99 million in the second quarter of 2024.
In 2020, Nigeria had 10.37 million electricity customers, and by 2021, the number rose to 10.51 million, reflecting an increase of 1.35% from the previous year.
In 2022, the customer base grew by 2.86%, reaching 10.81 million, while the most significant growth occurred between 2022 and 2023, with a 6.17% increase, bringing the number to 11.47 million.
From 2023 to Q1 2024, the customer base surged by 9.47%, reaching 12.33 million, while Q1 to Q2 2024 saw a further increase of 13.24%, bringing the total to 12.99 million electricity customers.
