Nationwide Power Outages Deepen Hardship as Heatwave Exposes Electricity Crisis

Households and businesses across several Nigerian states are facing growing hardship as prolonged electricity outages combine with an intense heatwave to disrupt daily life and economic activity.

Residents in states including Kano, Kaduna, Sokoto, Enugu, Benue, Oyo, Akwa Ibom, Taraba, Lagos and Ogun told correspondents that electricity supply has dropped drastically in recent weeks, forcing many to rely on generators, solar power and other costly alternatives.

The worsening situation highlights long-standing structural problems within Nigeria’s electricity sector, which has struggled for years with inadequate generation capacity, weak transmission infrastructure and gas supply shortages to power plants. Analysts say these challenges have left the national grid unable to meet the energy needs of a population exceeding 220 million people.

In Kano, residents of Unguwa Uku and Hotoro Dan Marke said electricity supply has fallen to barely one hour daily, often arriving late at night when businesses are closed.

A resident, Ahmad Ibrahim, said many households have abandoned reliance on the national grid. According to him, solar panels have become increasingly common as residents search for reliable alternatives.

Communities in Sokoto reported even more severe outages, with areas such as Mabera, Tamaje and Tudun Wada receiving less than an hour of electricity daily. Residents said the situation has been particularly difficult during the Ramadan fasting period, when extreme heat has increased demand for cold water and ice.

In Enugu, consumers who recently migrated to the high-cost Band A tariff said electricity supply still falls far below the promised 20 hours daily.

Small business owners say the outages are crippling productivity. Amaka Nwosu, who runs a small enterprise in Nsukka, said the cost of powering generators has become unsustainable.

Across Makurdi in Benue State and Ibadan in Oyo State, traders and artisans reported business closures, spoiled goods and rising operational costs.

Nigeria’s power crisis has persisted despite reforms in the sector since the privatisation of the former state monopoly, Power Holding Company of Nigeria, in 2013.

Although the country has installed generation capacity of over 12,000 megawatts, actual electricity production frequently falls below 4,000 megawatts—far short of the estimated 30,000 megawatts needed to support national demand.

With temperatures rising and outages worsening, many Nigerians say reliable electricity remains one of the country’s most urgent economic and social challenges.