Thursday, October 24, 2024 -The National
Bureau of Statistics (NBS) has revealed that 58 percent of households in
Nigeria are connected to the national grid.
This finding was shared in the bureau’s "Nigeria
Residential Energy Demand Side Survey (NREDSS) 2024," unveiled in Abuja.
The survey was conducted in nine states—Akwa Ibom, Bauchi, Ekiti, Oyo, Enugu,
Kwara, Plateau, Kano, and Sokoto—representing the six geo-political zones of
the country. A total of 8,100 households from both urban and rural areas were
interviewed for the survey.
The NBS reported that 86.6 percent of households
connected to the grid had access to electricity. Of those, 85.2 percent used
the estimated billing system, while 14.8 percent were on a pre-paid billing
system. The average monthly expenditure on electricity was estimated at
N4,155.8.
Nigeria’s national grid has collapsed eight times in 2024, with the first collapse recorded on February 4. Subsequent failures occurred on March 28, April 15, July 6, August 5, and three times in October—on the 14th, 15th, and 19th. Adebayo Adelabu, minister of power, explained that frequent grid collapses are linked to outdated infrastructure, noting that more investment in power infrastructure is necessary to prevent future incidents. The Nigeria Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) is scheduled to hold a public hearing on October 24 regarding the grid failures. Additionally, the federal government has established a forensic investigative committee to address the issue.
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