By Bilesanmi Abayomi
Amid continued failures by Nigeria’s electricity distribution companies (DisCos) to provide essential infrastructure such as transformers, cables, and energizing systems, individuals, communities, and politicians are increasingly stepping in to bridge the gap—through personal donations and constituency-funded projects.
While these interventions offer short-term relief for power-starved areas, critics say they mask deeper systemic failures, reinforce corruption, and excuse the incompetence of electricity providers under Nigeria’s privatized power regime.
Privatization or Powerlessness?
Under the 2013 post-privatization framework, the assets of the defunct National Electric Power Authority (NEPA) were unbundled into 11 DisCos and the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN), all with the promise of improved service delivery. Over a decade later, Nigerians say they are still paying more for unreliable electricity, with many questioning the entire privatization process.
“It feels like a wealth transfer to the politically connected,” said one resident.
“The average person still lives in darkness, yet we are charged monthly for services we do not receive.”
Critics argue that instead of delivering efficient service, the privatization merely shifted public assets into the hands of elites, leaving citizens to shoulder the burden of infrastructure and repairs.
Community Burden and Broken Promises
In many neighbourhoods, Community Development Associations (CDAs) have turned into emergency utility agencies.
“Our CDA just mandated that each flat contribute ₦18,500 for a new transformer before the old one collapses completely,” a Lagos resident said.
“If you wait for the DisCo to replace it, you might wait until your first child gets married.”
In another community, a resident described how locals not only fund infrastructure but also bribe electricity staff to get connected.
“Some field engineers and staff deliberately sabotage efforts to fix issues. They want you to pay unofficially before anything is done,” he said.
“Even when senior officials try to do the right thing, these junior staff frustrate the system to profit personally.”
This rising culture of “self-funding” power access has created a troubling paradox—while it keeps lights on in the short term, it weakens public accountability and allows electricity providers to shirk their responsibilities.
Donations Replacing Duty
Analysts warn that the current situation is breeding a dangerous precedent where essential services are increasingly driven by philanthropy, not policy. From transformer purchases funded by politicians to emergency repairs handled through crowd-funding, citizens are absorbing costs that should be covered by electricity companies and the government.
This trend is further fueled by a lack of awareness about consumer rights and weak enforcement by regulators like the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC), whose guidelines often exist more in theory than practice.
“Forget what you read in NERC press statements,” one resident said.
“Most of those are just PR. On the ground, people are on their own.”
What Future for Nigeria’s Power Sector?
As communities, not corporations, take on the burden of Nigeria’s power infrastructure, fundamental questions persist:
Are these grassroots efforts helping to fix the power problem or entrenching its dysfunction?
How long can a nation sustain public utilities on donations rather than duty?
With trust in the system broken and regulatory oversight faltering, Nigerians continue to pay—twice. Once in official tariffs, and again in unofficial levies, donations, and sacrifices that power their homes, while those tasked with the job remain unaccountable.