Nigerian Hair Vendor Using Old Meter Gets 509 Units After Recharging N30k on 'Band Z' Electricity
- Ijeoma Chinonyerem, a Nigerian hair vendor, has shared how she recharged her electricity meter with N30,000 and received a surprisingly large number of units
- She explained that her area receives little to no power supply, which Nigerians satirically call 'Band Z', but her solar panels keep her home running
- The post sparked conversations about Nigeria's electricity crisis, as many netizens opened up about their power supply situations
Ijeoma Chinonyerem, a hair vendor and filmmaker, has gone viral after revealing that recharging her prepaid electricity meter with N30,000 earned her a whopping 509 units.
Sharing the news on Facebook on 12 July 2026, Ijeoma explained that her neighbourhood receives electricity so rarely that Nigerians would satirically classify it as "Band Z."
Source: Facebook
While the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) operates official service bands to categorise electricity supply quality, "Band Z" is slang that has taken on a life of its own online, used to describe areas that receive virtually no power at all, well below any formal rating.
Because she runs solar panels at home, Ijeoma had gone months without needing to draw from the national grid, which meant she had no idea how many units remained on her meter. She admitted that a quiet concern had begun to creep in: what if the meter had run out without her realising it?
Her worry was compounded by the type of meter she owns. She described it as an older model that prevents residents from recharging remotely once units run out, forcing them to visit a neighbour's home to top up first.
After three to four days without supply, power was restored to her area. She quickly checked her balance and found roughly 150 units still remaining. Even so, she went ahead and recharged N30,000. Her post ended on a note of cheerful irony:
"With the way dem dey give us light, this one fit last till 2078."
See Ijeoma's original post that sparked the reactions:
Nigerians react to Ijeoma's electricity story
The post quickly drew responses from others who recognised the bittersweet reality behind her celebration.
@Ihugba Ogochukwu Sylvia said:
"Be like the whole of mushin dey band A The kain light wey we dey get for here eeh. But e no dey hard light don spoil or transformer don blow."
@Ijeoma Agbarakwute said:
"That 30k here will give you at most 136units."
@Kikiri Temisanren Henry said:
"Best wish dear! That my wish too, I hope I day it we be me!"
@Chinyere Umeasiegbu said:
"congratulations dear, as we keep pushing, everything will be met by God."
In a related story, Legit.ng reported that Nigerian discos had generated N801 billion in revenue in four months despite the worsening power supply crisis in the country.
TCN announces power outage in 6 states
Meanwhile, Legit.ng previously reported that TCN had announced power outage in six Nigerian states for two days.
The planned blackout comes shortly after a similar power interruption in parts of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, with thousands of households and businesses expected to be affected over the weekend.
According to a statement issued on Saturday, July 18, 2026, by TCN's General Manager, Public Affairs, Ndidi Mbah, the outage will affect parts of Bauchi, Gombe, Yobe, Borno, Adamawa, and Taraba states.
Source: Legit.ng
