₦airaland Forum

Telltruth123:
And they always promise to fix it during campaign

lawani:
Nigeria spends billions of dollars or at least hundreds of millions on solar power equipments every year and what is being generated is not captured in the national total. I believe import duties is not much and it actually should be duty free but customs duty is still a big deal to government. Many people are going off grid but solar for a whole house is not dirt cheap too because the panels and the batteries have life span.

I don't think it is feasible or even necessary for the federal government to part pay for lithium batteries for Nigerians. Soon citizens will ask that imported vehicles should be subsidized

lawani:
Ok but privatization is not the solution to all problems. The power company of China is government owned and profitable and it is probably the biggest company in the world by revenue. There are companies owned by Oodua group that have been under government ownership since the 1940s in this sa me Nigeria.

adonainana:
The lithium batteries are being subsided to solve a national epileptic problem

The more electricity a country can generate the more productive it is

It is a feasible realistic solution , the cheaper a sensible government can make lithium batteries cheaper ( the more grid the country would alternatively invariably generate )

The other alternative is to go and be looking for 85 billion dollars from
Somewhere to fix transmission lines or build another non clean source of energy

Meanwhile the cheaper most effective option is right above

Also most importantly lithium and solar panels have a life span of 10 years meaning once the products are extremely cheap and are in Nigeria and almost every household can easily afford one . Power is sorted for that house for the next 10 years

This is the type of production subsidy economists talk about , a gobevrment subsiding a product for an end product in return

The Oppsite of consumption subsidy such as fuel subsidy which is simply burning of fuel In people’s cars that lead no where

The more individuals generate their electricity in their capacity using the sun the less they would rely on anything called nepa

Those who still can’t do or need nepa can then rely on them effectively solving the problem

lawani:
You can't run heavy industries on batteries. No country on Earth is run on batteries. Have you calculated how many batteries will be equivalent to even 10,000MW? Then compare it to Nigeria's budget of maybe 30 billion dollars.

Gajagojo:
China is very different from Nigeria in many ways

First there is a predominant ethnic group in China which is the Han
They can locate projects anywhere without accusations of tribalism
In Nigeria everything is about tribe . Projects are located in the wrong places because of that

The Oodua example you give actually contradicts you
It is not a national company but essentially a Yoruba government business
Virtually all other government businesses have failed from the old Eastern and Northern Regions
Even the Odua businesses are not optimally managed. There is still nepotism
A good example is the airport Hotel in Ikeja. Still surviving but could do better


China has been around a long time one of the oldest countries and did not make economic headway until about 30 years ago.
Why and what changed? Did they start having government companies 30 years ago? No they have done so since the time of Mao but we're stagnant
What changed?

Chinese people are different from Nigerians. They obey their government and are very easy to organise and direct
See how long they were in lockdown

How can you exercise that kind of power in Nigeria as an Igbo man or Edo man for 40 years

Gajagojo:
State level power generation is not unrealistic

What is important is to have a plan
It can be done in some states like Lagos, and several states in the Niger Delta

There is no requirement to put up the capital up front by government

Dangote did not put down 20billion to build his refinery
He borrowed most of it

What is important is to create an environment where investors believe they can get their money back

That typically would be a payback period of 12 years in this industry

If the deal is right capita will come

Electricity cannot be fixed by government
Just like the telephone system could not

We need private investors
Government should look at how to mobilize and concentrate diaspora funds
Nigerians send $20 billion home yearly maybe more

If they can invest 5 % of that in power it would be a game changer

The way forward is state or regional power generation and distribution

If Lagos state forgets about 4th Mainland bridge and focuses on power it will make sense

adonainana:
There are solar farms ditching out mega watts of Power in different countries Brazil , dubai etc

If every household is self sufficient in generating its own power , the national grid would be left alone

Speaking for myself since I discovered solar 5 years ago I haven’t connected back to nepa light

For factories who really need nepa nepa would be there for them

For the rest households in particular a 5kva system can be easily built and would serve you well and power everything for less than 500k ( if the right govt policies are implemented )

Solar energy is everlasting , clean , and would solve the issue once and for all

erniok:
I need to understand you. So if my siblings sends me funds from obodo oyibo, fg takes 5% as what na.

Gajagojo:
State level power generation is not unrealistic

What is important is to have a plan
It can be done in some states like Lagos, and several states in the Niger Delta

There is no requirement to put up the capital up front by government

Dangote did not put down 20billion to build his refinery
He borrowed most of it

What is important is to create an environment where investors believe they can get their money back

That typically would be a payback period of 12 years in this industry

If the deal is right capita will come

Electricity cannot be fixed by government
Just like the telephone system could not

We need private investors
Government should look at how to mobilize and concentrate diaspora funds
Nigerians send $20 billion home yearly maybe more

If they can invest 5 % of that in power it would be a game changer

The way forward is state or regional power generation and distribution

If Lagos state forgets about 4th Mainland bridge and focuses on power it will make sense

lawani:
It does not matter if Oodua is owned by Yoruba states. It is still owned by government. If possible in China why not in Nigeria? It is Nigeria that is young and not the cultures in Nigeria. The US is young too. I know that ethnic nationalism and competition is a draw back for Nigeria but that does not mean that the privatization of national assets is always the solution. What government can be in short supply of is innovation and if a venture does not require innovation then government can be better equipped to handle it than the private sector. In an upcoming country, government has to lead because capital is not easy to come by. Government can work with investors or seek investors immediately a venture becomes profitable

ttmax09:
4th mainland bridge? Are they even working towards doing that? It's all just stories. And yes I agree with your points too, but let's be honest, until we eradicate corruption, it won't work.

Moderator101:
I know long write-ups aren’t everyone’s thing, so here are 10 clear, summarised points from the news article.

With elections around the corner, pay close attention to points 4, 6 and 10.

1. Nigeria’s electricity crisis is decades old and unresolved — promises of ending blackouts date back to 1986, yet grid collapses still occur regularly in 2026.

2. Every political era has failed — military rule, civilian governments, privatisation (2013), the Siemens deal, and the Electricity Act have all delivered little to nothing.

3. Power generation remains disastrously low — Nigeria produces under 6,000MW for over 200 million people, despite 66 years of independence.

4. Government celebrates mediocrity — record generation of 5,543MW in 2025 was treated as a major achievement despite being globally insignificant.

5. Peer countries expose Nigeria’s failure — South Africa and Egypt generate ~58,000MW each; Ghana, with 33 million people, produces nearly as much power as Nigeria.

6. Billions in funding have been wasted — over $4.36 billion in World Bank loans for power reforms vanished without fixing generation, transmission, or distribution.

7. State-level power generation is financially unrealistic— building a 300MW plant costs $400 million to over $2.5 billion, far beyond most state budgets.

8. 24-hour power in one year is a political fantasy — Nigeria needs 40,000–50,000MW, nearly ten times current output, making such promises mathematically impossible.

9. The real fix is extremely expensive and long-term — repairing generation, transmission, and distribution requires $80–125 billion and at least 10–15 years.

10. Progress demands honesty, accountability, and realism — Nigerians must reject false promises, demand prosecutions for corruption, support incremental targets, and enable private investment.

epainos:
Nigeria has too many problems, but we need to get something right NOW. Direct transmitting votes from voting points to the main server. We need to be able to kick out useless leaders. This is the trigger for accountability.

When we have the power to vote who we want, then, the next we need to get is the president who will use tech to fight corruption. This is the goal we need and everything will start working in Nigeria..

So, please, we need to fight the senators and get this thing done NOW.

Nigeria has billions of naira we can afford to get a dedicated server for direct transmission. All the useless lies that we aren't ready aren't accepted. The money, man-power, & skill are available to get it done.

If we can get this right, we will make them come for compulsory debate before every election. You want to pull Buhari and Tunubu style to not get involved in any debate, you are gone. You will tell us exactly how you will rule. You will convince us with facts, figures, and experience that we should hand you over 4 years in Aso Rock. We give you 4 years, and you fail to achieve them like Buhari and Tinubu, you sef won't bother to reconnect cos you know you are gone. You and all your network. All of una know...it is over for you all. So, you sef will think twice beflre accepting political posts. Then, we will see people like Ngozi Okonjo- Iweala, Akjnwunmi Adeeshina, Osibanjo, and other brains come out to contest.

Without this done...sorry. I don't have time to waste discussing Nigeria's problems like this. Let's discuss getting direct transmission to the server right this time. Period..

lawani:
I see your point though but what can't happen is government part paying for solar power equipments. They can't afford it.

Then the fear of everybody going off grid is enough to scare away investors

adonainana:
It’s affordable because it’s even way cheaper than any power investment which costs billions in dollars

Currently as we speak a 15kwh lithium battery costs 3 million naira (3m divided by 15kwh) 200k per 1kwh

If a sensible government subsidises it by 50 percent with an investment of 2.5 billion naira for every 10,000 kw batteries brought in

That’s almost 10 megawatts off the grid

Coastal road costs 15 trillion naira and it’s a pointless project that doesn’t do or solve a major problem

The serious government can afford it

On the argument that investors won’t invest

That true and that’s good

All the investments that have gone in the power grid it got worse

So it’s better to solve the problem with good clean solar power and everyone stays happy

Moderator101:
Source: https://www.thecable.ng/why-no-nigerian-leader-can-fix-power-in-one-year/

nairalanda1:
Okay, let's assume that the government was serious and that power was under the control of government

We need at least 30000 mw to give everyone on the grid light. That means power generation plants , like a thermal plant and a hydroelectric plant. Building those would take five years at least. ( One of our newer power stations, it took some time to design turbines...these aren't things you buy off the shelf)

Then we have to fix a transmission system so that it can transmit 30000 mw. That's another several years.

All the above assumes government serious and money not a problem

GloriousGbola:
the power problem can be solved if we as nigerians are willing to bite the bullet and start paying actual cost of power. no one is going to invest in power when it is still being subsidized. that is the reality. nigeria can no longer afford to subsidise power

there is also the issue of corrupt legacy nepa staff all through the system who have the govt is paying for power mindset and who will continue to sabotage metering initiatives for their own gain

Gajagojo:
)

I need to understand you

How old are you and how much education have you completed

Gajagojo:
State level power generation is not unrealistic

What is important is to have a plan
It can be done in some states like Lagos, and several states in the Niger Delta

There is no requirement to put up the capital up front by government

Dangote did not put down 20billion to build his refinery
He borrowed most of it

What is important is to create an environment where investors believe they can get their money back

That typically would be a payback period of 12 years in this industry

If the deal is right capita will come

Electricity cannot be fixed by government
Just like the telephone system could not

We need private investors
Government should look at how to mobilize and concentrate diaspora funds
Nigerians send $20 billion home yearly maybe more

If they can invest 5 % of that in power it would be a game changer

The way forward is state or regional power generation and distribution

If Lagos state forgets about 4th Mainland bridge and focuses on power it will make sense

erniok:
I guess I was a bit too quick to comment since you mentioned fg investing, thought it was another case of borrowing from dormant account idea they came up with back then but know that no one in diaspora will invest a dime in nigeria riddled with corruption. It's just like trying to fill up a basket with water.

tunde1200:
You're looking at the problem from the top.
Instead to see the causes of it.
What's voting got to do with waisted efforts of pass leaders.

MrUnitedstatesA:
Those lying patriots will always avoid threads like this
https://www.nairaland.com/8614041/african-countries-ranked-infrastructure-access

Because it exposes the worthlessness of their useless government. Which kind of country produces and exports so much oil but the people have no electricity or infrastructure to enjoy? Look at how far other Africans are opening the gap between us and them but we are here stark on stupid titles like giant of Africa. Most populous shythole. Nonsense.

lawani:
What is needed is just leadership which can come from government or the private sector. Diasporeans will invest in Dangote refinery when it goes public. Aradel or Seplat can do an IPO today to build a refinery and people will buy in and etc etc

Tareq1105:
I've said it before that even if you give it to Obi, nothing will be achieved and obidients would stone him bcoz they'll be disappointed.

Obi once said he had learned from his 3 days visit to Egypt in 2022 and I said he learned nothing about power. Obi doesn't know what is involved. The billions of dollars involved.

Even as Minister of Power, Obi would not get it. Everyday communities contribute to but transformers and cables on their own.

Tareq1105:
Most information about the energy problem will not be known to you until you sit on the seat.