By Chris Osa Nehikhare
…nearly three years into this administration, Nigerians must ask a simple question: has power improved?
During the campaign season in 2022/23, bold promises were made. One stood out for its clarity and confidence. The candidate who is now President, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, declared publicly that Nigerians should not vote for him for a second term if he failed to improve electricity supply.
It was a powerful statement. It suggested urgency. It conveyed competence. It projected a leader who understood that electricity is not a luxury — it is the backbone of economic survival.
Today, nearly three years into this administration, Nigerians must ask a simple question: has power improved?
Across the country, the national grid has suffered repeated collapses. Generation figures fluctuate embarrassingly for a nation of over 200 million people. Instead of steady progress, Nigerians have witnessed instability, tariff hikes, and worsening supply.
In Edo State, the situation is particularly painful. Entire communities now live on extended blackouts. Small businesses that once managed with predictable supply schedules now operate in uncertainty. Welders, hairdressers, frozen food vendors, cyber cafés — the backbone of urban survival — are gasping under the weight of generator costs.
Electricity bills are rising, yet supply is shrinking. Its unexplainable.
The Broken Social Contract
Power sector reform has been a recurring promise since privatization. Nigerians were told that unbundling would bring efficiency. They were told that cost-reflective tariffs would attract investment. They were told that states would be empowered to generate and distribute power independently.
But what is the reality?
- Grid instability
- Transmission bottlenecks
- Distribution inefficiency
- Escalating tariffs
- No improvement in hours of supply
The ordinary citizen does not debate megawatts and regulatory frameworks. The citizen asks: How many hours of light did I get today? In Edo, the answer is often depressing.
Hospitals rely heavily on generators. Students read with rechargeable lamps. Artisans price their services based on fuel costs. Inflation is now tied not just to food and transport — but to electricity failure.
When power fails, everything fails.
President Tinubu’s own words should guide the conversation. He said if he could not fix electricity, Nigerians should not grant him a second term.
Those were not the words of critics. They were his words.
Leadership requires accountability to one’s own declarations. If electricity — the most basic enabler of industrial growth — remains unreliable, then the government cannot claim economic reform success.
Power is the oxygen of industry. Without it:
- Manufacturing shrinks
- Jobs disappear
- Investors hesitate
- Youth unemployment rises
No serious economy develops in darkness.
Edo is a state with industrial potential — from small-scale manufacturing to agro-processing. Yet erratic power supply continues to suffocate enterprise. Businesses factor generator costs into pricing. That cost is transferred to consumers. The cycle fuels inflation locally.
Citizens feel abandoned. Complaints multiply. Solutions remain distant.
This is not partisan criticism. It is lived reality.
If this administration truly intends to reset Nigeria’s economic foundation, then electricity must move from speeches to measurable outcomes.
Nigerians do not need more explanations.
They need more light.
The benchmark has already been set — by the President himself.
As 2027 approaches, voters will not be persuaded by promises recycled from 2023. They will measure governance by daily experience. They will remember the darkness. They will remember the fuel receipts. They will remember the silence from those who once spoke boldly.
Electricity was made a campaign covenant.
The question now is simple: has it been kept?
Hon. Chris Nehikhare is a former Commissioner for Communications and Orientation in Edo State
This is the fourth in the series of essays on why President Tinubu will not get 25000 (twenty five thousand) legitimate votes in the 2027 Presidential election in Edo State.
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