DisCos Apologise to Nigerians Over Prolonged Blackouts, Urge FG to Address Power Crisis

Electricity Distribution Companies (DisCos) have apologised to Nigerians over persistent power outages across the country, acknowledging the difficulties households and businesses have faced following weeks of inadequate electricity supply.

The Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Association of Nigerian Electricity Distributors (ANED), Sunday Oduntan, offered the apology on Monday during an interview on Channels Television's Sunrise Daily.

Oduntan acknowledged the hardship caused by the prolonged outages, admitting that Nigerians deserved an apology for the ongoing electricity challenges.

"I'd like to first of all start by apologising to Nigerians. Apology is needed; it is essential because Nigerians have been taken through this problem over the past few weeks," he said.

ANED CEO Faults Blame Game Among Power Sector Operators

Beyond the apology, Oduntan expressed concern over what he described as a renewed blame game among key stakeholders in Nigeria's electricity industry.

He recalled that similar disagreements between distribution companies, transmission operators, generation companies and gas suppliers had contributed to the industry's challenges between 2016 and 2019.

According to him, rather than working together to resolve the problems affecting electricity supply, operators have continued to shift responsibility to one another.

He explained that DisCos often blame the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN), while transmission operators point to generation companies (GenCos), which in turn attribute their challenges to inadequate gas supply and payment disputes with suppliers.

Oduntan warned that returning to this pattern would make it more difficult to address the country's electricity crisis.

Oduntan Questions Conflicting Statements on Gas Supply

The ANED chief also questioned conflicting explanations from the Nigerian Independent System Operator (NISO) and the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC) regarding the factors responsible for the recent power shortages.

He noted that NISO had identified low water levels and insufficient gas supply as some of the factors affecting electricity generation, while the NNPC subsequently issued a statement indicating that gas was available.

However, Oduntan argued that the NNPC needed to provide further clarification, particularly on whether outstanding payments were affecting gas supply to power generation companies.

He maintained that Nigerians deserved clear information about the actual situation, including whether gas had been paid for and delivered to the relevant power plants.

The ANED chief consequently called on the Minister of Power to take the lead in bringing all relevant stakeholders together to establish the causes of the shortages and develop lasting solutions.

He stressed that stronger leadership and coordination were necessary to end the exchange of accusations within the electricity value chain.

Nigerians Struggle as Power Outages Persist

The apology comes amid growing public frustration over unreliable electricity supply, with households and businesses struggling to cope with prolonged blackouts in different parts of the country.

The situation has also renewed concerns about the electricity Band A, B and C tariff classifications, which determine customer charges based on the expected hours of daily electricity supply.

Customers on Band A, who are entitled to a minimum of 20 hours of electricity daily, have also raised concerns over inadequate power supply.

The outages have further intensified the difficulties faced by residents amid rising temperatures and the high cost of alternative energy sources.

Several Nigerians have taken to social media to express their frustration, with public figures also criticising the persistent electricity challenges.

Veteran actress Kate Henshaw questioned why Nigerians continued to struggle with reliable power, lamenting that households had effectively become mini-factories because of the need to generate their own electricity.

Content creator Cute Abiola also appealed to President Bola Tinubu over the situation, highlighting the difficulties Nigerians face in coping with the heat and accessing alternative power sources.

Meanwhile, the rising cost of petrol and diesel has made generator usage increasingly expensive, while the cost of installing solar panels, inverters and battery systems remains beyond the reach of many households and small businesses.

Tinubu's Electricity Campaign Promise Resurfaces

The latest power crisis has also brought renewed attention to President Bola Tinubu's campaign promises on electricity supply and the elimination of estimated billing.

During his 2023 presidential campaign, Tinubu pledged to improve electricity availability across the country and ensure Nigerians no longer had to pay estimated electricity bills.

Addressing members of the Organised Private Sector in Lagos at the time, he promised that Nigerians would have access to adequate electricity and urged voters to hold him accountable if he failed to deliver.

The renewed concerns over prolonged blackouts have therefore intensified calls for the Federal Government and electricity sector operators to take decisive action to address the country's persistent power supply challenges.