Chai! Na wetin we go call this wahala wey dey happen for our national grid? Just as e dey come, we don see gidi collapse wey happen on January 27, 2026, and na im be the third time in less than one month. E go shock you say, power wey generate as much as 3,825MW don drop to only 39MW! My people, this kind level na serious matter.
For this matter, Eko Electricity Distribution Company no even dull, dem don confirm say we dey in serious mess. Naija Independent System Operator come dey use big grammar talk am as ‘system-wide disturbance’, like say anybody dey happy for this talk-we-waka. The power sector don dey suffer for plenty years, and e dey obvious say government no dey take am serious. Between 2010 and 2022, we don record more than 222 collapses, and na since then e don begin wear our frustration cap!
See ehn, despite say we get installed capacity of about 13,000MW, we no fit wheel more than 5,000MW. Na wetin dey cause fears on top this loaded grid? No be plenty old infrastructure wey nobody wan change since 50 years ago? Na why supply and demand dey act drama whenever e go beyond that safe frequency. Gas supply dey scatter our gas-fired plants, and those who dey sabotage transmission lines dey continue to japa without punishment.
Business wey dey rely on power don dey chop big losses. You fit see Dangote Industries, Nigerian Breweries and the rest don sharpaly japa come out from grid fully, instead dem don dey use their own power setups wey cost dem plenty money. Just last year alone, over 20 firms don throway na “off-grid” capacity, including BUA Cement wey don set their own 161MW plant. My people, the koko be say, power supply wey dey affect everything wey dey happen for this economy; them dey cry from business to household level.
Niger wey dey trek for light matter don forget wetin e mean to be productive. E don reach 10 trillion naira losses wey manufacturers dey face every year because of power wahala, and 2023 don saw 767 companies voluntee to close shop because electricity matter dey make dem vex. The horror story neva finish gaining ground as many others dey hang dey look for balance to survive.
Make I tell you, our economic dream of $1 trillion by 2030 go just remain dream without steady power supply. World Bank don talk say this power wahala dey cost us $29 billion annually, wey na big percentage of GDP. Just look South Africa and Egypt, dey dey use okada to move their economy while we dey gather noise and smoke for generator.
We still dey see some small hope o! Some states like Enugu and Ekiti don begin set up their own regulators. States wey take charge of their own electricity fit bring change wey we need. Aba Power for Abia don already show wetin dey happen when we dey create small clusters wey dey gather light for their area. This kind model fit work plenty areas too; states wey dey intelligent and know wetin dey go fit benefit well.
So, abeg, we no fit afford another ten years of darkness. Government gatz step up, make Dem fit cut the drama and do wetin wey go make sense before wetin dey happen go turn to correct massive disaster. Na now we go fix this electricity matter before e too late. We dey watch you, government!
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