Millions in Nigeria have little to no electricity. It’s straining businesses and public services

Dimly lit and stuffy classrooms stir with life every morning as children file in. Rays of sunlight stream through wooden windows, the only source of light. Pupils squint at their books and intermittently the blackboard as teachers try to hold their attention.

It’s a reality for many schoolchildren across Nigeria, where many buildings don’t have access to the national electricity grid. In Excellent Moral School in Olodo Okin in Ibadan, “the entire community is not connected, including the school,” said school founder Muyideen Raji. It acutely affects pupils, he said, who can’t learn how to use computers or the Internet and can’t study in the evenings.

About half of Nigeria’s more than 200 million people are hooked up to a national electricity grid that can’t provide sufficient daily electricity to most of those connected. Many poor, rural communities like Olodo Okin are off the grid entirely.

In a country with abundant sunshine, many are looking to solar energy to help fill the gaps, but getting risk-averse investors to finance major solar projects that would give Nigeria enough reliable energy is an uphill struggle. It means that millions in the country are finding ways to live with little to no electricity.
 

Lots of sun, few funds

Studies have shown that Nigeria could generate much more electricity than it needs from solar energy thanks to its powerful sunshine. But 14 grid-scale solar projects in the northern and central parts of the country that could generate 1,125 megawatts of electricity have stalled since contracts were signed in 2016.

Those trying to develop solar projects in the country blame interest rates for borrowing which can be as high as 15 percent, two to three times higher than in advanced economies and China, according to the International Energy Agency.

That means it’s more costly for solar companies to work in Nigeria or other developing nations than in rich countries. Africa only has one-fifth the solar power capacity of Germany, and just 2% of global clean energy investments go to the continent.

“The same project put up in Nigeria and Denmark; the Danish project will get funding for 2 to 3 percent” interest rate, said Najim Animashaun, director of Nova Power, one of the stalled solar projects. Meanwhile he struggles to get loans even with interest rates of 10 percent or higher, “even though my solar project can produce two and half times more power,” than a Danish one.

Nigeria also does not set so-called cost-reflective tariffs, meaning the price consumers pay for electricity doesn’t cover the costs to produce and distribute it. This means distribution companies can’t fully pay producers and the industry relies on government interventions to stay afloat, scaring off lenders from investing in the solar industry.

Currently, power producers say they are owed up to 3.7 trillion Naira ($2.7 billion) by the government, making it difficult to meet obligations to their lenders and contractors.

One option would be getting World Bank guarantees that would put investors at ease and make them more willing to put money into solar projects. But the government is wary of signing up to anything that would force them to pay large sums even if electricity from the projects does not get to consumers because of inadequate transmission and distribution infrastructure.

Without World Bank guarantees “nobody will develop or finance a project with a government subsidy, because it can dry off,” said Edu Okeke, the managing director of Azura Power. Azura Power has a stake in the now-stalled 100 megawatt Nova solar project in Nigeria’s northern Katsina State.
 

Stop-gap solutions

With less than 8,000 megawatts of capacity and an average supply of less than 4,000 megawatts — less than half of what Singapore supplies to just 5.6 million people — power outages are an everyday occurrence in Nigeria.

Communities like Excellent Moral School’s in Ibadan that have no access to electricity are often surrounded by more fortunate ones that are connected to the grid but experience frequent outages and have to use gasoline and diesel-run private generators.

With the long-running petroleum subsidies now removed, many households, schools, hospitals and businesses struggle with the cost of the fuel for their backup generators.

“We have stopped using a diesel generator as an alternative due to costs,” said Abdulhakeem Adedoja, the head of Lorat Nursery and Primary School in Ibadan. He added that although the school is in an Ibadan area that is connected to the grid, they could go two weeks without a power supply.

The problem is not just the lack of electricity for computer-aided learning, proper lighting, and fans to make classes less stuffy for pupils and teachers, but also that students are unable to complete their school assignments at home, Adedoja said.

For more energy-hungry small businesses like restaurants, they either close shop or continue with alternative power generation, incurring high costs that hurt their capacity for expansion.

Ebunola Akinwale, the owner of Nature’s Treat Cafe in Ibadan, said she pays 2.5 million Naira ($1,700) monthly to power backup generators in her four branches.

“If nothing changes, I probably would have to close one or two branches,” she said, though she is planning to go solar which she enthuses will help us cut “pollution from the diesel (generators).” She’s in talks with her bank for a low-cost loan package specially designed for young women entrepreneurs to finance the solar alternative.

However, not every business and household has such access or can afford the upfront capital for a private solar system. School heads Raji and Adedoja said they find the costs prohibitive.
 

Finding a way forward

The stalled solar projects aren’t happening as finances don’t add up, but even for other sources of electricity generation, Nigeria struggles to attract desperately needed private financing.

The power minister, Adebayo Adelabu, said in May that in order to address the financial crisis affecting the electricity sector, prices must reflect the true costs of service because a broke “government cannot afford to pay 3 trillion Naira ($2.4 billion) in subsidy.”

The government also insists that Nigerians paying fully for the electricity they consume would encourage investments in the sector.

There has been some pushback to that, as labor unions went on strike in early June in part to protest electricity tariff increases.

But businesspeople like Akinwale understand the government’s position because regularly supplied grid electricity, even without a subsidy, is “still cheaper and cleaner” than diesel for generators, she said.

If finances for grid-scale solar projects do not add up, the government should offer incentives such as tax relief and payment plans to encourage private solar adoption, Akinwale said. “Sunlight is there abundantly,” she said.

Former regulatory chief Sam Amadi doubts if consumers in Nigeria — where the minimum wage is 30,000 Naira ($20) a month — “can today pay for energy consumed without subsidy.” He also wants a policy that makes it more affordable to have smaller-scale solar projects dotted across communities, businesses and homes.

Until then, there are consequences to the frequent blackouts, he said.

“I have the story of a person who died in hospital because the electricity went out during operation,” he said. “Every day, we see the real-world effects of the lack of electricity.”

By Taiwo Adebayo, AP

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At least 30 dead, more than 100 injured after multiple suicide bombings in Nigeria

At least 30 people are dead and more than 100 were left injured after multiple suicide bombings were carried out at various locations in Nigeria over the weekend, sources said Sunday.

The first attack on Saturday was carried out by a woman, Alhaji Mohammed Shehu Timta, the Emir of Gwoza, told journalists.

"The first suicide attack was masterminded by an unidentified woman who sneaked with two children into a wedding reception of a popular young man in Gwoza; she detonated her Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs), killing herself and many people," the Emir said.

"A few minutes after, another suicide bomber sneaked into a burial ceremony ... nearby and detonated improvised explosive devices, and as [I] am talking to you now, the third explosion just occurred [a] few minutes ago with more casualties,” the Emir added.

Nigerian President Bola Tinubu condemned the attacks, calling them desperate acts of terror that showed the pressure mounted against terrorists and the success achieved in inhibiting their ability to launch offensives.

Tinubu said his administration is taking necessary measures to secure the safety of citizens. He also vowed to bring those responsible to justice.

No group has claimed responsibility for the bombings.

By James Bwala, ABC News

Child malnutrition crisis in Nigeria amid rural violence and soaring food inflation

An unprecedented number of children in northern Nigeria are suffering from acute malnutrition, aid workers in the country have said.

Nigeria has the “largest number of food insecure people globally” at 31.8 million, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization office in the north-eastern city of Maiduguri said.

Médecins Sans Frontières, which is working in seven states, said its facilities were so overwhelmed that children were being treated on mattresses on the floor. MSF said it admitted 1,250 children in April to an inpatient therapeutic feeding centre in Maiduguri, twice the figure for the same period in 2023.

Dr Simba Tirima, MSF’s Nigeria representative, said: “In all these places we’ve seen, at least in some cases, double what we saw last year or at least a more than 60% increase in the patients admitted. We have a crisis at hand. We have an emergency at hand, and those kids that are severely malnourished definitely need treatment.”

Severe acute malnutrition has also led to other conditions, such as tuberculosis and acute diarrhoea, and stunted children’s growth. More than 52,000 patients were diagnosed with severe acute malnutrition across seven states in 2023 and 2,693 of them died, according to MSF figures.

The reasons for the increase in malnutrition are well noted: food inflation is close to 30% as Africa’s most populous country is experiencing worsening food insecurity. A third of the country – amounting to more than the combined population of the UK, Ireland and Denmark – live on less than £1 a day.

Meanwhile, farmland has been abandoned in parts of the north because of gangs kidnapping, extorting and in some cases killing farmers. The Nigerian newspaper the Punch reported that 165 farmers were killed in the first three months of this year.

About 1.2 million people were displaced in eight states in central and north-west Nigeria by the end of 2022 because of violence, according to the UN’s International Organization for Migration. In that same period, about 2.3 million others were displaced in the north-east, where jihadist groups such as Boko Haram continue to run amok.

The insecurity and economic instability have made food expensive. Food reserves in some villages have been depleted as there has been little or no growth in household incomes, some local people told aid workers.

In January, a report by the US Department of Agriculture and the Global Agricultural Information Network revealed that Nigeria had become the second country in Africa, after South Africa, to embrace genetically engineered corn.

A month later the government ordered the release of 2,000 metric tonnes of grains from the federal reserves, with the agriculture minister, Abubakar Kyari, saying: “Food security is national security”.

But aid organisations say millions of people are still at risk of famine as Nigeria enters the lean season, which is usually from June to September. The World Food Programme has already projected that 26.5 million people in Nigeria could face acute hunger by the end of this period.

Other experts say the position could deteriorate even before then and have called for immediate funding to save millions of vulnerable children.

“We’re not even in the middle of that lean season,” Tirima said. “We need other actors to come in. MSF is just one organisation. In fact, what we do is a drop in the bucket … we are nowhere near addressing the immediate crisis that we face.”

“A child who died yesterday of malnutrition is a tragedy,” he added. “A child who might die tomorrow because of malnutrition is preventable.”

By Eromo Egbejule, The Guardian

Abuja estate residents live in fear over frequent attacks by kidnappers

On the night of 21 April, Oliver was brutally killed at Leisure Court Estate in the Sabon Lugbe area of Abuja, where he worked as a gateman. His bullet-riddled body was recovered the following morning by the residents.

“He saw the kidnappers attempting to enter a building, and he shot at them. Unknown to him, others were behind him. They shot him from the back,” Kayode Imole, a resident of the estate, told PREMIUM TIMES.

A security man in the estate, who pleaded anonymity, said Oliver stood no chance against the invaders because he was armed with a locally-made gun with one bullet. “After firing the bullet, there was nothing else to do,” he lamented.

Not first time

The incident was not the first this year in the beautiful estate surrounded by a bush. But it was the first in which a person was killed.

According to a resident, the same night the security man was killed, a woman and her daughter were kidnapped. Two young girls and an adult were also kidnapped10 days later on 30 April.

As in other cases of kidnapping recorded in the estate, the woman and her daughter were released by their abductors after the payment of ransom.

In the first incident this year, recorded on 15 January, a resident of the estate, Olaitan Tayo (not real name), was kidnapped while returning from work at about 10.15 a.m.


That night, four men with AK-47 guns ambushed Mr Tayo as he drove home in his blue Lexus ES SUV. They fired repeatedly at his car, dragged him out of it and marched him into the bush, leaving the vehicle behind.

Narrating his ordeal to PREMIUM TIMES, Mr Tayo said he and the kidnappers trekked in the bush until 5 a.m. when they arrived at a cave close to a military checkpoint around Kuje.

“Before I got to that spot that night, they attempted to stop two cars. Olanrewaju (whose family members were later kidnapped in their home) was driving one of the cars, but he was able to escape. They were shooting at my car; I thought they were security men at first. One of the bullets went through the roof of my car,” Mr Tayo narrated.

“My car eventually stopped after a bullet hit the engine, but they continued to shoot at the tyres. They marched me into the bush, and we trekked for over seven hours till we got to the cave around five in the morning.

“I was the only one with them in the cave, and I tried to negotiate with them. They did not assault me. We saw some herders passing with cows from the cave, but they couldn’t see us to tell you how thick the bush was. The cave is just a 15-minute drive from the military checkpoint.”

Mr Tayo said his kidnappers demanded N50 million as ransom but later accepted N15 million. “My friends and family raised the money,” he stated.

Mr Olanrewaju, who escaped the night Mr Tayo was kidnapped, was attacked in his house on 1 May. The kidnappers took away his 10-year-old daughter, another 15-year-old girl and a friend of his staying with him after arriving in Abuja to take a new job with an NGO. Mr Olanrewaju said that the friend was to assume duty the following day.

“We were inside around 10:30 p.m. when they attempted to break the gate. I used the walkie-talkie provided to communicate with the residents and guards, but no one could come. They (kidnappers) cut the electric wire and entered the gate. They couldn’t open our door, so they started breaking the window.

“I opened the door because I thought if they got angry, they would shoot and kill. I opened the door and prostrated immediately. But they told me to stand up and asked for my family.”

Mr Olanrewaju said the kidnappers took away his phone and later used it to demand ransom for the release of his family members. “Currently, I am gathering the money. I want to sell my cars and house,” he said.

According to a resident, the kidnappers consistently increased in number each time they attacked the estate.

They were four, with two of them carrying guns, when they struck in January. But when they returned in April, there were six of them, four of them bearing arms. On their 1 May visit, there were eight with all welding guns.
 

Ransom payment

PREMIUM TIMES they learnt that residents have paid over N30 million to secure the release of kidnap victims since January.
 

Police response

Following the 21 April bloody attack, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Commissioner of Police, Beneath Igweh, led some officers to the estate.

After combing the bush around the estate for about three hours, the police officers returned with two individuals who they paraded as suspects.

But ten days after the visit of the police, the kidnappers struck again and went away with three persons from the estate. Residents said the police did not respond to the latest incident.

Some residents complained that the police and the estate management also did not want the incidents reported in the media.

“We wanted to invite the press after the last attack, but the management told us not to,” a resident said, who also preferred anonymity to avoid victimisation.

The FCT police spokesperson, Josephine Adeh, did not respond to several calls and messages this reporter sent to her mobile telephone on the incidents at Leisure Court Estate.
 

Fear

The constant attacks have left the residents feeling insecure. Some said they were considering relocating from the estate.

“I just moved, and I have advised my friend to do the same,” a house owner in the estate, Mr Raphael, told this reporter.

However, for many residents, the decision to move house is complex in Abuja.

“Where will I go? I bought this house to stop wandering around,” Mr Imole said.
 

N2.5 million service charge

Some residents said the estate is porous to attack because it has no fence. They blame the management for their vulnerability to attacks.


This newspaper learnt that residents paid N2.5 million to the estate management as an “infrastructure/service fee” for electricity, security, perimeter fencing, road and other provisions. Yet, they still need to make individual arrangements for security.

“Except for Phase 1, other areas do not have gates. Phase 4 is the biggest, but the gate has been abandoned for over a year. There is no fence or security outpost.

“Also, look at our gate in Phase 1 here. We requested removing the bamboo, but it has not been completed since then.”

Another resident, Joseph Sunny, urged the police to allow security guards in the estate to be properly armed.

“How can you with a local gun face someone with AK 47 or AK 49?” he said.
 

Estate management reacts

Just before the reporter filed this report, a member of the estate management, who gave his name only as Mr Dimeji, told PREMIUM TIMES on the phone that the police had deployed some officers to the estate. At the same time, the residents have hired more security guards.

The residents hope those steps will check the attacks on their beautiful estate.

By Ademola Popoola, Premium Times