By Sam Agogo
Nigeria’s electricity sector stands as one of the most enduring paradoxes of modern African governance: a nation endowed with vast energy resources and an extensive catalogue of power projects, yet persistently unable to deliver reliable electricity to its people.
Despite decades of investment, international partnerships, and repeated government pledges, the national grid in June 2026 still struggles to supply between 4,000 and 5,000 megawatts to a population exceeding 220 million — a per capita output that ranks among the lowest in the world.
From General Yakubu Gowon in the 1970s to President Bola Tinubu today, every administration has recognised electricity as the backbone of development. Each pledged to expand generation, modernise transmission, and bring light to millions of homes and industries. Yet the reality is that the government has not done enough to match its promises with sustained action. Projects have been announced with optimism, but too many remain incomplete, underperforming, or abandoned. The vision has always been present; the execution has too often fallen short.Nigeria’s fragile grid survives on a handful of stations that continue to deliver. Egbin Thermal Power Station in Lagos, with 1,320 megawatts, remains indispensable to the nation’s commercial hub, though transmission failures often force it offline. Kainji Dam, commissioned in 1968 with 760 megawatts, still contributes but is limited by ageing turbines and seasonal water levels. Jebba Hydroelectric Station, with 578 megawatts, depends on Kainji’s water releases and performs below optimal levels. Shiroro Dam, commissioned in 1990 with 600 megawatts, is consistent but operates under the shadow of insecurity in Niger State. Zungeru Hydroelectric Plant, inaugurated in 2022 with 700 megawatts, is fully available but underutilised because the grid cannot absorb its output. Geregu Power Plant in Kogi State, Azura-Edo IPP in Edo State, Okpai IPP in Delta, and Afam VI in Rivers State stand out as models of reliability, proving that when gas supply is steady and management is competent, Nigerian plants can perform.Yet for every functioning station, there are stalled or abandoned projects that stand as monuments to broken promises. The Mambilla Hydropower Project in Taraba State, planned since 1972 with a capacity of 3,050 megawatts, remains less than 20 percent complete, stalled by litigation, landslides, and counterpart funding delays. The Alaoji NIPP Power Plant in Abia State, with 1,074 megawatts, is fully built but produces nothing due to gas shortages, transmission failures, and unpaid invoices. Egbema NIPP in Imo State, with 375 megawatts, is about 60 percent complete but trapped in legal disputes after its contractor defaulted. Gbarain NIPP in Bayelsa, with 225 megawatts, is roughly 70 percent complete but suffers from gas inconsistency and unresolved off-take agreements. Kudenda Power Station in Kaduna, with 215 megawatts, sits at about 50 percent completion, having missed deadlines across multiple administrations. Gurara II Hydropower Project, approved in 2019 with 360 megawatts, is less than 10 percent complete due to land disputes and bureaucratic bottlenecks. The Itobe Coal Project in Kogi State, with 2,400 megawatts, is dormant, facing environmental concerns and financing challenges. The planned Egbin Expansion, with 1,900 megawatts, remains under 5 percent complete, stalled by investor hesitancy and off-take uncertainties. The Kano Power Plant, projected at 1,350 megawatts, is less than 15 percent complete, slowed by financing bottlenecks and weak execution capacity.On the renewable frontier, the Katsina Wind Farm at Lambar Rimi stands as one of Nigeria’s earliest attempts at utility-scale wind power. Conceived with promise, it has remained largely non-functional for close to two decades. In April 2025, the Katsina State Government signed a $500 million contract with Genesis Energy Group to revive and expand the project by incorporating solar hybrid capacity. The contract is signed, the ambition is clear, but Nigerians have learned to wait cautiously, knowing that too many renewable projects have faltered before reaching completion.Every stalled project translates into darkness for millions. In Abia, the silent Alaoji plant sits as a monument to wasted billions, while residents burn petrol in generators. In Taraba, the unbuilt Mambilla dam denies the North-East the transformative power it has awaited for half a century. In Kaduna, the half-built Kudenda station symbolises promises that never materialised. The cost is not just economic. It is social. It is human. Factories remain idle, hospitals struggle, schools operate without light, and households spend fortunes on diesel.Nigeria’s electricity crisis is not a technical mystery. The failures are documented, the solutions known. What is missing is sustained political will. Every year that projects like Mambilla remain unbuilt is another year of darkness for millions. Every stalled turbine, every idle transformer, every abandoned plant is a reminder that Nigeria’s power problem is not about engineering — it is about governance. The path forward is clear: complete what has been started, fund what has been promised, and manage what has been built. Only then will Nigeria escape its gridlocked future — billions invested, power undelivered.
Comments, reflections, and further conversation:
Email: samuelagogo4one@yahoo.com
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