Irregular electricity supply proves privatization has failed, says union – THIS UPDATE

By Ayo Kehinde

The National Union of Electricity Employees (NUEE) has blamed Nigeria’s persistent electricity shortage on what it described as the failure of the country’s privatized power sector, calling on the Federal Government to urgently review the entire process.

NUEE Acting Secretary General Dominic Igwebike said this in an interview with Leadership, where he rejected claims that the current energy supply crisis is linked to global geopolitical tensions.

Igwebike said Nigeria continued to experience erratic electricity supply despite repeated tariff increases and reforms introduced after the privatization of the power sector between 2012 and 2013.

According to him, the expectation that private investors would significantly improve energy production, transmission and distribution has not been realized more than a decade after the sector was handed over to private operators.

“The current epileptic supply shows that the private sector has failed. After privatization in 2012 and 2013, there were no additional megawatts and there was no improvement in the sector,” he said.

The union leader argued that the challenges Nigeria faces in electricity supply are largely internal and not linked to global energy market developments or geopolitical tensions such as the Iran-US conflict.

“It is not just because of the war between Iran and the US that is causing the epileptic energy supply. There have been tariff increases, but what has been done before to improve the sector? There has been no foreign direct investment and the generation network is poor,” he said.

Igwebike also criticized the state of the national grid, noting that the system continues to suffer from operational difficulties which often disrupt electricity supply across the country.

“The grid system doesn’t work. This is the truth. The system doesn’t work and there is no clear government plan, medium, long or short term, to address the challenges,” he added.

He also criticized the frequent upward revision of electricity tariffs without corresponding improvements in service delivery, stressing that Nigerians are paying more for electricity despite persistent outages.

Igwebike stressed that stable and affordable electricity remains essential for economic growth and industrial development, warning that no country can achieve significant progress without a reliable energy supply.

He therefore urged the federal government to adopt a comprehensive energy strategy that includes greater investment in electricity infrastructure and the development of renewable energy sources to meet the country’s growing energy demand.

“The only solution now is to go back and review the entire privatization process because the system has failed. There are no countries that develop without electricity,” he said.

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