However, alongside the improvements, many consumers decried the high electricity tariffs, which they described as unbearable.
Residents in some states complained that while supply had become relatively stable, the rising cost of power, especially for those on Band A, was eating deep into household and business finances.
The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission introduced the Service-Based Tariff regime in October 2023, categorising electricity consumers into five bands based on daily supply hours.
Band A customers are entitled to a minimum of 20 hours of power supply daily, Band B gets 16 hours, Band C 12 hours, Band D eight hours, and Band E four hours.
In April 2024, NERC approved a sharp tariff increase for Band A consumers, raising rates from about N66–N68 per kWh to N225 per kWh.
Band B also moved up slightly from N63 to N67 per kWh.
The Federal Government further promised that generation would hit 6,000MW by the end of 2024, but as of mid-2025, supply has fluctuated between 4,000MW and 5,000MW.
Improvement in Lagos
Residents in some parts of Lagos, including Agege, Ikorodu, Ikeja, Victoria Island, Kosofe, among others, have witnessed noticeable improvement in recent months.
A resident of Isale Oja, Agege, Asmau Ibrahim, confirmed that electricity had been more stable in the past few months.
But a trader in the area expressed frustration in paying what she described as “too much money” for the electricity supply.
“The light is stable but the money we pay at the end of the month is too much. The tariff is too high for us,” she said.
Another resident, Akeem Adeyemi, disclosed that he had to request the disconnection of electricity in his home after his building was classified under maximum demand consumers.
He described the tariff as unbearable.
Adeyemi said, “When they placed our building on maximum demand, the bills became too high. I could not cope, so I had to tell them to disconnect my house. Now, we had to fuel generator to power the building, which is lesser. Can you imagine that they gave us over N150,000 in a month for what we don’t use at all?”
A prominent member of the community, Rasheed Lawal, confirmed that electricity supply had improved in parts of Agege, though he acknowledged that challenges remained in areas yet to be metered.
A Lagos resident, Olatunde Jentry, while commenting on a Facebook post by another user, Kay Lord, said electricity had improved not only in Lagos but also in Ekiti.
“It is not only in Lagos. I have travelled home to Ekiti twice this year and there was light almost throughout the days I spent there. This last time I went, in June, there was no light the day I arrived because it was their day off. They told me the light went off at 6am and it was restored in the night, and didn’t blink again till I left on Sunday. They all testified that they enjoy light 24/7 now, except on the off-days which is about once in a week,” he wrote.
Bayelsa: Supply increased after towers repair
Residents of Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, said electricity supply improved after the state government restored vandalised transmission towers.
They, however, noted that the improvement was largely due to the intervention of the state government, not the Transmission Company of Nigeria or the distribution company.
A resident of Yenizue-Gene community, Bralado Nimi, expressed optimism for better power supply when the state-owned gas turbines are completed.
He said, “Electricity situation in Bayelsa has improved remarkably since the state government helped TCN to restore their vandalised towers that supply electricity to the state. But we are optimistic that as from next year, we will enjoy better power from the state-owned gas turbines which are nearing completion.”
Another resident, Lucky Nweke, a businessman in Swali community, said the improvement had impacted his business positively.
Nweke explained that prior to the improvement, he used to power his refrigerator with a generator which reduced his profits significantly.
But for about a month, he had been relying on the national grid as his area enjoyed over six hours of electricity daily.
“The improvement in electricity has helped my business because we enjoy more than six hours of power supply. It’s enough to cool my refrigerator. Before now, I used a petrol generator, which affected my profits,” he said.
Delta: Longer hours, reduced generator use
Similarly, residents of Warri and Effurun in Delta State said they had been receiving longer electricity supply in recent months.
A community leader in Effurun, Thompson Onyeama, confirmed there was noticeable improvement in electricity supply, urging the distribution company in the area to “keep up the good work.”
Onyeama said improved electricity supply would impact positively on industrial and economic activities in the state.
Similarly, a barbing salon operator at the Ginuwa Junction area of Warri, Edwin Omafuaire, said he now used less petrol to power his equipment because electricity was available for longer hours than before.
“I now procure less petrol because electricity is supplied for longer hours. We sometimes get up to eight continuous hours during the day,” he stated.
Ogun: Kudos, knocks for IBEDC
In Ogun, it is a mixture of praise and criticism for the Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company over the state of power supply, even as the company disclosed that consumers in the state owed over N127bn.
While some residents acknowledged improvements in electricity, others lamented that their communities had yet to feel any change.
A resident of Idomila in Ijebu Ode, Abiodun Michael, said power had improved with supply sometimes lasting five days nonstop.
Similarly, a resident of Oke Ata, Abeokuta North, Sulaiman Fasasi, noted more stable supply averaging 15 hours daily, while Adedayo Olubunmi of Ilisan Remo said the improvement came with higher costs for those on Band A.
In contrast, residents of Onikolobo and Adigbe in Abeokuta decried epileptic supply, with a resident, Mrs Ope Gbadamosi, alleging that many had relocated due to poor electricity.
Also, a resident of Sagamu, Gbolagade Idowu, said some areas enjoyed better supply, but others such as Ogunyanwo and Ogijo had been in blackout for weeks.
The Adele of Sawonjo in Yewa North, Chief Muibi Mulero, stated that about 20 communities, including Igbogila, Imasayi, Ijoun, Oja Odan and others, had been in darkness for nearly three years, a situation he described as devastating for businesses in the axis.
However, the Public Relations Officer of IBEDC, Ogun Region, Yomi Bada, said the company was aware of the challenges and assured that efforts were underway to restore supply.
He explained that the mainline for Sawonjo and other affected communities had been completed, with full restoration expected before December.
Bada further identified vandalism, electricity theft and the debt burden as major obstacles to improved supply, adding that the company required over 1,000 transformers and other facilities to meet demand.
Akwa Ibom: Relative improvement
In Akwa Ibom, officials of Ibom Power described electricity supply as “relative.”
Speaking in an interview with one of our correspondents in Uyo, the company’s Director of Media, Peter Dada, explained that supply improvement depended on the band classification of each customer.
He said power supply in the state wouldn’t be uniform because of band differences, especially with the peculiarity of Akwa Ibom that relies on the Aba-Itu Transmission Line, which often trips off.
A community leader in Mbiabong village in Itu LGA, Ubong Umoh, also described the power supply in the state as relative, noting that while some areas enjoyed better service, others did not.
He said, “Here in Mbiabong, we have fair power supply but this is not the same in other parts of the state. I go to Uyo always; power supply there is not the same in our community.”
Also, a resident of Abak Road, Uyo, Inibasi Umo, described the power supply in the axis as fair compared to previous years.
She said, “In previous years, we don’t normally have light for days but the situation has changed a little. Now, we have power every night and they take it in the morning. Sometimes, they bring it back in the afternoon for about three hours. It wasn’t like this before, so the power supply situation is fair now.”
Another resident in the Uyo metropolis, Christian Etim, echoed the same sentiment.
Osun: Band A customers enjoy supply
In Osun State, electricity supply remains uneven as residents of major towns in the state said there had not been serious improvement in their communities.
A businessman in Olaiya, Ade Olagunju, and a resident of GRA, who spoke on condition of anonymity, both said their areas enjoyed constant supply due to their classification.
“We are on Band A in Olaiya Area. Because of that, we enjoy relatively regular power supply. But at times, we may have issues with the transformer supplying us. But the situation is not the same across the town,” Olagunju said.
But a resident of Ayekale area of the state capital, Rasheed Akintade, said his area, classified as Band C, had not been having regular power supply.
He said, “We have less than seven hours daily. Sometimes, there is no power in the day, and they restore it only at midnight. The situation is bad.”
Speaking in a similar vein, a cross section of residents of Ikire, Ede Road in Ile-Ife, Oke Afo in Ikirun, and Odo-Ori in Iwo lamented irregular power supply in their communities and demanded urgent intervention from the relevant authorities.
Abuja: Residents lament declining supply
Residents of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, decried the poor electricity supply by the Abuja Electricity Distribution Company, lamenting that despite an increase in tariffs, they barely received up to 10 hours of power daily.
Findings by Saturday PUNCH revealed that electricity supply was considerably better in the previous year, when households enjoyed up to 15 hours daily, compared to the present decline.
Investigations further showed that recurrent vandalism of power lines, intermittent blackouts for maintenance, faulty feeders, and national grid collapses were among the major factors that shaped Abuja’s power situation in the last eight months.
Between January 6 and 20, the Transmission Company of Nigeria and the AEDC announced a two-week blackout, running daily from 9am to 4pm, to allow for the relocation of eight transmission towers along the Apo axis for a road dualisation project.
While both TCN and AEDC have made efforts to restore supply, residents insisted that there had been no visible improvement when compared to last year.
A petty trader in Kubwa, Mistura Abu, lamented the impact of erratic supply on her business.
She said, “I remember there was a time when the AEDC announced a three-week blackout. There was no light between 9am and 4pm daily. Unfortunately, those are supposed to be the most productive hours of the day. I had to buy ice blocks to preserve food in my freezer, and the price went up because sellers relied on generators. Even now, supply only comes at night, which is of little use to us.”
Another Kubwa resident, Oche Adejoh, said his community had been without electricity for seven days due to a faulty transformer.
“I go to another street to charge my devices. Even before the transformer failed, supply was irregular—barely from 12pm to 3pm, then again from midnight to 6am. That’s less than 10 hours combined,” he added.
A youth community leader In Karu, Emmanuel Gyan, admitted they enjoyed relatively better supply but at high costs.
“Most of us here are on Band A, and this is not even a GRA. People pay as much as N2,000 per kilowatt-hour. To be fair, we get about 14 hours of supply, but the tariff is unbearable.
For those unmetered, the situation is worse. We’ve protested several times to no avail,” he said.
Source: PUNCH
