Worsening Power Outages Hit Nigerian Homes, Businesses as Heatwave Escalates
Many Nigerian households and businesses are struggling with extended power outages as a persistent heatwave intensifies the country’s electricity crisis.
Reports from Kano, Kaduna, Sokoto, Enugu, Benue, Oyo, Akwa Ibom, Taraba, Lagos, and Ogun states indicate that residents have been enduring intermittent electricity supply for weeks, prompting widespread adoption of generators and solar power systems.
Residents said the unreliable supply has disrupted daily life, making basic activities difficult and forcing some to abandon reliance on the national grid altogether.
Analysts warn that these persistent outages underscore systemic weaknesses in the power sector, including gas shortages for generating plants, inadequate transmission infrastructure, and chronic underinvestment.
In Kano, areas like Unguwa Uku and Hotoro Dan Marke have seen electricity availability drop to barely an hour a day, often arriving only at night. Residents said many households have installed solar panels or disconnected entirely from public electricity due to the persistent outages.
In Sokoto, communities including Mabera, Tamaje, and Old Airport reported supply below one hour daily, forcing people to depend on neighbors with solar power for cold drinks during fasting hours.
Business operations have also been severely affected. In Enugu, residents who migrated to the higher Band A tariff reported receiving only four to ten hours of electricity daily while paying increased rates. Small businesses, including food vendors, barbers, and artisans, said rising generator costs have slowed production or forced temporary closures.
In Makurdi, unreliable power caused the collapse of a frozen meat business, while residents in Akwa Ibom reported similar disruptions, with many communities receiving fewer than three hours of electricity daily.
In Ibadan, Oyo State, residents across multiple communities described widespread reliance on generators as the only viable option. Artisans such as welders and barbers said they have been unable to operate efficiently, and some have taken on alternative jobs to survive.
In Kaduna, outages led to spoilage of perishable foods, prompting households to increase dependence on generators. Taraba residents also reported power availability ranging between three and six hours daily, affecting income for small-scale entrepreneurs.
The crisis is compounded by Nigeria’s limited generation capacity. While the installed capacity exceeds 12,000 megawatts, actual output often falls below 4,000 megawatts far short of the estimated 30,000 megawatts needed to sustain the population and industrial demand. Frequent grid failures and transmission bottlenecks further limit electricity delivery. Over 80 million households and businesses rely on petrol or diesel generators, creating a backup power market worth more than $10 billion annually.
Electricity distribution companies cite gas supply disruptions as a major factor in worsening outages. In Kaduna, the distribution company confirmed that reduced gas supply has forced increased load shedding across its service areas, which include Kaduna, Katsina, Kebbi, Zamfara, and Sokoto.
Meanwhile, the Presidential Villa is testing a new solar power facility valued at N17 billion. The project, which began in late 2024, is still undergoing technical testing and has not yet reached full operational capacity. Officials said the initiative aims to reduce fuel and generator expenses, with a 1.2-megawatt solar plant already providing power to the State House Medical Centre.
Budget records show that N2.32 billion was earmarked in 2026 for electricity, generator fuel and maintenance across the State House, with N17 billion allocated for solarisation to cut costs and reduce dependence on the national grid.
