National Grid Collapse: Obi Decries Nigeria’s 5,000MW Capacity as ‘Absurd

Former presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi, has strongly criticised Nigeria’s electricity sector following the latest collapse of the national power grid, describing the country’s average generation capacity of about 5,000 megawatts as “absurd” for a nation of over 200 million people.

In a statement shared on his official social media platforms, Obi lamented the frequent grid failures, noting that the repeated collapses expose deep-rooted structural and leadership failures in the power sector. According to him, Nigeria’s power output remains grossly inadequate when compared with other countries with smaller populations and economies.

Obi stressed that unreliable electricity supply continues to cripple businesses, worsen unemployment, and slow economic growth, as households and industries are forced to rely heavily on generators and other expensive alternatives.

He argued that decades of poor planning, corruption, and lack of continuity in policy implementation have left the power sector in a fragile state, despite huge investments made over the years.

The former Anambra State governor called for urgent and sincere reforms, insisting that stable electricity is fundamental to national development, industrialisation, and improved quality of life for Nigerians.

Nigeria’s national grid has suffered multiple collapses in recent years, plunging several parts of the country into darkness and raising renewed concerns about the stability and management of the country’s power infrastructure.