Korede Abdullah in Lagos
A recent report by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) has shed light on the dismal state of electricity supply in Nigeria, revealing that households experience an average of 6.4 power outages per week.
The report, conducted in collaboration with the World Bank, surveyed 4,715 households across the country and highlighted significant challenges in energy access, particularly in rural areas.
According to the report, power outages are a nationwide issue, with minimal variations between urban and rural households.
Each outage lasts an average of 12 hours, leading to a total of 67.2 hours of blackouts per week.
The report also noted that there are no significant differences between urban and rural households in terms of the frequency and duration of power outages.
“Each outage lasts 12.0 hours on average, leading to a total 67.2 hours of blackouts over seven days,” the report reads.
The report highlighted significant disparities in electricity access and supply reliability across different regions of the country.
Southern zones reported longer durations of typical blackouts, while northern zones reported shorter blackouts.
Additionally, the report revealed that about 53.6 percent of Nigerian households report having access to electricity, with urban households enjoying significantly higher access than rural areas.
“Approximately one in two Nigerian households reports having access to electricity. The national average is 53.6 per cent, with a remarkable contrast between urban (82.2 per cent) and rural households (40.4 per cent),” the report added.
The dominance of the Power Holding Company of Nigeria/Nigerian Electric Power Authority (PHCN/NEPA) as the primary source of electricity nationwide was also highlighted in the report, with an average coverage of 88.2 percent of households with access to electricity.
Alternative sources of electricity, such as generators and solar home systems, account for a marginal share of the energy supply landscape.
