By Gee Onyedinma
Nigerians are expressing growing outrage over worsening electricity supply across the country, as prolonged outages and extremely low voltage continue to disrupt daily life and cripple basic household activities. In many homes, the power supply—when available—is too weak to run essential appliances, leaving residents struggling to cope with heat, food spoilage, and lack of water.
Residents say the erratic supply has made it difficult to pump water or preserve food, worsening living conditions amid rising economic hardship. Many households now spend hours searching for alternative sources of water because electricity is insufficient to power pumping machines, even when connected to stabilizers.
Life is getting harder in Nigeria. The government cannot even assure us of basic services such as water, electricity, good roads, security, fuel, gas, and food. You begin to wonder what those in authority are doing while pretending to be busy,” lamented a resident of Ogba, a suburb of Lagos.
Another resident, Mr. Seyin Adedibu of Agege, stated that the little electricity supplied rarely exceeds three hours daily and is often interrupted into brief intervals of 10 to 20 minutes every few hours. “Most nights we sleep without electricity. The heat is unbearable and foodstuffs are going bad because refrigerators cannot stay on long enough,” he said, adding that many citizens feel abandoned by the current leadership.
Even workers within the power sector appear overwhelmed by the situation. An official of the Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN), who spoke on condition of anonymity stated that the crisis exceeds the capabilities of what power workers can resolve stressing that only decisive government intervention can address the deep-rooted challenges in the electricity sector.
The situation could worsen in the coming weeks. Nigerians have reportedly been warned to brace for more severe power shortages as gas suppliers threaten to halt supply to thermal power plants over an estimated N3.3 trillion owed by power generation companies, according to the Chief Executive Officer of the Association of Power Generation Companies, Dr. Joy Ogaji.
With frustration mounting nationwide, citizens are urging the Federal Government to urgently address the crisis before public anger boils over. Some residents warn that if the situation persists, people may be forced to take to the streets to demand reliable electricity and other basic services necessary for daily survival.