One Hour of Electricity Per Day: Power Crisis Hits Several States in Nigeria
- Nigeria is facing one of its toughest electricity crises in recent years, with households and businesses enduring prolonged blackouts as a heatwave worsens daily hardship
- From Kano to Sokoto and Kaduna, residents report receiving barely an hour of power, forcing many to rely on generators and solar systems
- Analysts warn that the outages expose deep-rooted failures in the power sector, leaving millions to grapple with rising costs, food spoilage and disrupted livelihoods
Many households and businesses across Nigeria are struggling with worsening electricity supply as a relentless heatwave intensifies hardship.
Findings by PUNCH reveal that residents in
- Kano,
- Kaduna,
- Sokoto,
- Enugu,
- Benue,
- Oyo,
- Akwa Ibom,
- Taraba,
- Lagos and
- Ogun states have endured prolonged blackouts for weeks.
Source: Getty Images
This has forced many to abandon reliance on public electricity and turn to generators and solar power.
Residents told PUNCH that the outages have made it nearly impossible to carry out normal daily activities.
Energy analysts warn that the worsening situation highlights deeper structural failures within the electricity sector, including gas supply shortages to power plants, weak transmission infrastructure and chronic underinvestment across the power value chain.
Rising costs and daily hardship
For millions of Nigerians already grappling with rising living costs, the consequences are immediate. Business closures, food spoilage, higher energy expenses and growing dependence on alternative power sources are now common across the country.
One hour of power in Kano
In Kano, residents of Unguwa Uku and Hotoro Dan Marke reported that electricity supply had dropped drastically in the past month. Ahmad Ibrahim explained:
“We hardly get electricity for more than one hour. Sometimes it may last two hours, but most times it comes late at night.”
Another resident, Habibu Abdullahi, said many households had switched to solar power or disconnected entirely from the public grid.
“I cannot even count the number of houses that have installed solar systems because of the outage. Many people have already lost hope in public electricity supply,” he added.
Sokoto residents face severe blackouts
In Sokoto, communities such as Mabera, Tamaje, Old Airport, Sahara, Emir Yahya and Tudun Wada reported electricity supply of less than one hour daily. Musa Abdullahi, a resident of Mabera, said the blackout worsened hardship during Ramadan:
“Because of the heat and fasting, people now depend on neighbours who have solar power to buy ice blocks or cold water.”
Residents also complained that even communities under the Band A electricity tariff category, which should receive at least 20 hours of electricity daily, were receiving far less.
Source: Getty Images
Kaduna residents count their losses
In Kaduna state, outages have caused significant losses of perishable food items. Mrs Martina Aji, a resident of Sabo in Chikun Local Government Area, said:
“Since last week, we have hardly had electricity. Food items, especially soup, have spoiled in my refrigerator.”
Another resident, Jimmy Gaskiya, noted that many households were now relying heavily on generators to cope with the crisis.
How to collect free electricity meter
Legit.ng earlier reported that the Federal Government announced that Nigerians in all 36 states, including Abuja, can walk into the nearest electricity supply office to request a free meter and installation.
Officials stated that this initiative was part of a nationwide reform programme aimed at closing Nigeria’s estimated seven million electricity meter gap.
Proofreading by Funmilayo Aremu, copy editor at Legit.ng.
Source: Legit.ng
