The Nigerian National Electricity Grid has collapsed forty six times between 2017 and 2024 in spite of the billions of billions of United States dollars expended on the inexpendable project!
On Thursday 4th April 2024 it collapsed for the second time in the year and plunged the entire nation into complete darkness while Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission had completed plans to increase ELECTRICITY TARIFF OF BAND [A] CONSUMERS - THE INDUSTRIES SECTOR BY OVER 300%!

Resilient Nigerians who have been used to paying for services never rendered by consecutive Regulation Authority took the ineptitude of an Oligarchy Government as usual in their stride and moved on! According to NERC, that industrial sector would consume 20 hours of daily and must therefore pay higher premium!


PREVIOUS ATTEMPTS TO INCREASE ELECTRICITY GENERATION IN NIGERIA HAD FAILED!

On 13 February 2019, during Buhari's second- term bid, Sahara Reporters, New York, published the following article which stated that "$16bn Obasanjo Spent On Power Project Will Be Probed, Says Buhari" Buhari said his government would do everything possible to recover the money and uncover those behind the scam.
President Muhammadu Buhari has reiterated his resolve to probe the $16billion spent on the failed power project by the administration of former President Olusegun Obasanjo.
Buhari said his government would do everything possible to recover the money and uncover those behind the scam.
He stated this on Tuesday while speaking in Yenagoa, the Bayelsa State capital, during the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential campaign rally.

Although he did not mention Obasanjo, Buhari said: “The previous government mentioned on their own that they spent $16billion on power, but you are better witnesses than myself; where is the power? Where is the money? We will follow them; eventually, God willing, we will catch them and get our money back.”

The Nigerian government was reported to have spent N16billion on power projects between 1999 and2007 when Obasanjo was in power."


END OF STORY! THEY HAVE ALL MOVED ON WITHOUT PROFFERING SOLUTION TO POWER OUTAGE IN NIGERIA!

How much does Nigeria need to get 24/7 electricity asks Opeoluwa Dapo-Thomas in a publication in Nairametics precisely one year ago!
As of December 2022, Nigeria has a generating capacity of 22,000 megawatts Nigeria as of 2020, has 54% electricity access
Despite the nature of the country’s electricity, Nigeria exports electricity to neighbors Niger, Benin, and Togo.

Over the years, one question that has yet to be answered despite promises made by successive governments is the possibility of the country having electricity for 24 hours a day, and 7 days a week. According to reports, 8 out of 10 Nigerians lack access to 10 hours of power supply. This means that most households and businesses do not have access to electricity for up to 10 hours. This has made doing business in the country increasingly difficult as most companies incur additional costs to have access to electricity through generating plants. Also, the unavailability and high cost of diesel, and petrol have further compounded woes and increased prices of goods in the market.
Electricity generation, transmission, and distribution now on concurrent list, but…

In Nigeria, electricity generation, transmission and distribution are placed on the concurrent legislative list. This means that both the federal and state legislatures share power in this regard. However, there are some limits to the power which a state can exercise in some instances as electricity. In paragraph 13(b) of the concurrent legislative list, the national assembly is vested with the power to make laws as regards the generation and transmission of electricity to any part of the country.

In paragraph 14(b) the state is only vested with the power to generate, transmit and distribute electricity to areas not covered by the national grid within the state. This means that now the federal government was vested with the sole right to electricity in the country. However, in March 2022, the lawmakers at the National Assembly passed a bill to reform the 1999 constitution. The bill allows states to generate and transmit their own electricity (without fully relying only on the national grid). Despite having a generating capacity of 22,000 megawatts, the country’s power generation peaked at 4,594.6MW as of November 2022. The electricity generated is considerably low considering the country’s population of over 200 million people.

In July 2019, the FG signed a deal with Siemens AG to increase electricity generation to 25,000MW in six years. In phases, it’s expected to increase from its current capacity to 7,000MW by 2021, 11,000MW by 2023, and 25,000MW by 2025. Also, based on international standards of 1,000MW to one million people, the country is expected to at least generate 200,000MW to give the population better access to electricity.

In Africa, Egypt, Morocco, Tunisia, and Algeria are countries with the most access to electricity with 100 per cent access. In Egypt, the country overcame its electricity woes through investment. In 2015, it signed a $4.4b deal with Siemens AG which built three power stations with a combined output of 14,400 megawatts in two years. According to President El Sisi, $39 billion was spent between 2014-2019 to double electricity output to about 60,000MW in the country.



Nigeria needs to spend at least $100 billion for 100% access to electricity

24/7 electricity in Nigeria will no doubt come with a cost to Nigerians and consumers. In an earlier article, having electricity 24/7 is possible. One of the ways this can be done is through the clustering of electricity. This means neighborhoods/areas/places with almost similar consumption rates and under an agreement can negotiate a deal for their own power. The earlier report highlighted how it was possible to achieve this through a blend of 60% from grid supply and 40% from generators through an independent operator at an initial N95/kWh. The cost could rise as reported, based on some factors which are not limited to gadgets usage in a household, amount of electricity from the national grid, and cost of fuel. This could cost between N100, 000 to N400, 000 or more monthly.

This will also raise questions about the commitments and willingness of Nigerians to pay. The population in Egypt is around 109 million which could as well pass as half of the population of Nigeria. With Egypt’s expenditure that high within the timeframe, and considering the cost in recent times, Nigeria might spend $100 billion as the minimum within the same timeframe or more to provide constant electricity and increase access to almost 100 per cent.

In Nigeria, the main source of electricity is Thermal and Hydro. Nigeria can take a clue at Morocco in exploring other sources to provide electricity for its citizens. According to state-owned power utility ONEE, Morocco’s electricity production in 2021 came from coal (37.08 per cent), hydroelectricity (16.14 per cent), fuel oil (7.67 per cent), natural gas (17.72 per cent), wind (13.37 per cent), solar (7.58 per cent). Nigeria can explore this to shift towards renewable energy sources which will help provide more sustainable power. Electricity access to as high as 100 per cent in the country is possible but will come at a cost.

ALL OF THE ABOVE LOFTY SUGGESTIONS COULD HAVE PROFFERED THE RIGHT SOLUTIONS IF MR. PRESIDENT BOLA TINUBU HAD NOT COMMITTED SOCIO-ECONOMIC SUICIDE ON 29TH MAY 2023!

Nigeria will now need not less than USD$400 billion dollars to produce 24/7 electricity for over 230million Nigerians! And where would a debt-ridden government that executes only annual recurrent expenditures of purchasing/ importing exotic luxurious vehicles and paying unfailing salaries/allowances to elected/appointed politicians find funds to fix electricity for the Sovereign Citizens of 1999 Military Constitution of the Federal Republic?


TAX THE RICH AND KILL THE POOR WITH HYPER INFLATION!

If NERC plan works out, more tariff would be collected from over TWENTY MILLION high-grade consumers across the 36 states of the federation and FCT Abuja. However, the affected industries would definitely pass cost of increase in production to the Poor whom NERC intended to succor due to another POLICY SOMERSAULT by the rudderless administration!
This government claims to have SUBSIDIZED ELECTRICITY LIKE PMS (PETROL)!

Every LIE has an EXPIRY DATE!

[EXPECT A PRIME MINISTER IN NIGERIA NOW!]





I am, yours sincerely, THE WATCHMAN Dr. David B.A. Olufon. 08130669886, 08058436756. g-mail-dvdolufon@gmail.