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It’s a boom season for Nigerian governors; at no time before had they had so much. Every month they are awarded large sums of money. To whom much is given, they say, much is expected. What are the visible things they have put in place in proportion to the allocations they receive? How do we hold them accountable for this?
Today, Nigeria faces one of the largest electricity supply gaps in the world. Despite having an installed generation capacity of more than 13,000 megawatts, the country still struggles to generate and distribute between 4,000 and 5,500 megawatts on most days for a population of more than 220 million people.
Experts estimate that Nigeria needs at least 30,000 megawatts for stable, functional electricity, while industrial economies of comparable size generate much more. Recent reports from the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission and industry operators have revealed that many power plants are operating below 40% capacity due to gas shortages, inadequate infrastructure, transmission bottlenecks and weak investment.
The consequences are devastating. Small businesses spend billions every year on diesel and gasoline generators.
Producers move to neighboring countries with better energy systems. Investors avoid regions where production costs are inflated by unstable electricity. According to several economic and energy reports, unreliable electricity continues to cost Nigeria billions of dollars every year in lost productivity, business failure, unemployment and reduced foreign direct investment. Especially in northern Nigeria, where industrialization is already fragile, unstable electricity has become a direct enemy of economic growth, security and prosperity.
Nothing will stimulate and improve our local economy, especially here in Northern Nigeria, like stable electricity supply. Recently, the president cleverly threw the ball into our governors’ court by signing the Electricity Act.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Electricity Law gave states the power to decentralize electricity. We have seen states like Abia State, Lagos State and Ogun State grasp the opportunity with both hands to boost the local economy.
I wondered what the Northern states are doing about this. Are our people aware of this great opportunity to force our Northern governors to provide us with stable electricity? Or are they so caught up in who occupies which office? Or “Make her nawa ne”? Why are our knowing-it-all analysts and intellectuals from the North silent on this topic now, only to harp on the same issue years later, when the opportunity is probably no longer there? Will our traditional rulers save us by ringing it in the ears of our leaders?
Electricity is no longer simply a social amenity; it is the backbone of modern civilization. Every thriving economy is fueled first and foremost by energy before politics, rhetoric or propaganda. Stable electricity determines whether factories run efficiently, whether hospitals can preserve lives, whether schools can provide quality learning environments, whether technology hubs can emerge, and whether local entrepreneurs can compete globally.
Nations do not industrialize in darkness. History has repeatedly shown that economic revolutions are based on reliable energy systems. From China to India, from South Korea to Rwanda, serious governments have understood that a constant supply of electricity is the oxygen of development.
Unfortunately, Northern Nigeria still acts as if electricity is a luxury rather than an economic necessity. In many parts of the region, communities spend more time debating political appointments and ethnic calculations than discussing energy policy, industrial development or economic competitiveness. However, no serious investor will create industries where electricity remains uncertain most hours of the day. No significant manufacturing revolution can occur where generators roar louder than factories. Our young people cannot become globally competitive in digital innovation when power outages interrupt learning, research and productivity every few hours.
What makes the current moment even more painful is that the constitutional and legal opportunity now exists for states to take charge of their own electric future. The decentralization enabled by the Electricity Act allows states to generate, transmit and distribute electricity independently under their own regulatory frameworks. This means that governors can no longer continually blame Abuja for every darkness endured by their people.
The era of absolute dependence on the national grid is gradually waning. States willing to think ahead can create independent energy projects, attract private investors, support renewable energy initiatives, and create regional energy markets that can transform their economies.
Signs of this new direction are already emerging. Lagos State has moved aggressively towards controlling its electricity market and attracting independent suppliers. Energy reforms and localized agreements are being pursued to reduce dependence on national grid instability and improve the offering to businesses and residents. Other states are beginning to recognize that energy supply is no longer solely the responsibility of the federal government. The question now is whether the Northern states will rise to the occasion or will continue to watch from the sidelines while others advance economically.
Although the “fabulous” elites and elders of the North are still struggling to define what regional development is, let alone develop a realistic framework and awareness about it, we would be grateful if they could lend a hand in realizing a stable power supply; the stream that irrigates the root of development.
Kaduna State, for example, has a governor among the governors, a sitting speaker of the federal House of Representatives and two senior and powerful ministers. I hope, pray and expect that Kaduna State will take the lead in the North in providing stable and uninterrupted power supply to its people. Kaduna has the intellectual capacity, political influence, industrial history and strategic importance to become the energy model for northern Nigeria. If properly harnessed, stable electricity in Kaduna alone could revive industries, empower small businesses, strengthen agricultural transformation, create jobs for thousands of youths and attract investors back to the state.
Northern Nigeria cannot continue to complain of insecurity, poverty, unemployment and underdevelopment while ignoring one of the fundamental pillars of economic transformation. Stable electricity will not solve all problems overnight, but without it many other solutions will remain ineffective.
We need to start asking harder questions of those who are entrusted with public resources. Citizens must go beyond political sentiments and demand measurable development. Governors who receive huge monthly allocations must show visible investments in energy infrastructure, industrial expansion and economic productivity.
The future belongs to regions that understand that development is intentional and not accidental. We can no longer afford leadership without vision or citizens without demands. The opportunity is here. The law is now favorable. The resources are available. What remains is political will, public pressure, and leadership that understands that darkness never built any civilization.
Long live the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
Sani Abdulrazak, PhD, is a researcher, writer and public commentator based in Kaduna state.
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