In the 21st Century, it must be a harrowing experience to live in estimated darkness. Not much has changed in terms of availability of reliable power supply from the early 1950s when Britain kindly helped to build our power system, transfered a very excellent power system to Nigeria post-independence till around 1966. The national power company, an amalgamation of the Niger Dam Authorities (NDA) and Electricity Corporation became known as Electricity Corporation of Nigeria (ECN). After the civil war, the Federal Government (FG) appointed a Canadian Firm, Showment Ltd, to fine tune the technical details of the merger and on April Fools day in 1972, the Management of ECN changed its name to National Electric Power Authority (NEPA). Haaaaaaaaaaa! It was a Saturday (Saturday, 1st of April, 1972), From 1960, when the population was a little short of 45 million, till 2024, when the population has reached over 200 million, the maximum power consistently reaching Nigerians has always been around 3,500MW. But it’s no longer NEPA now! You might say. And, you are absolutely right!
The truth is that the National Electric Power Authority (NEPA) ceased to exist well before Privatization in 2013. Before the Privatization, it was an era of darkness that those who are below 50 years of age in Nigeria know as “UP NEPA” – an anecdotal description of the incessant failure of the Nigerian Power Grid. NEPA was nicknamed NEVER EXPECT POWER ALWAYS. Later, it got worse to the point that it was “backronymed” NEVER EXPECT POWER AT ALL!
NEPA transformed from NEPA to NEPA PLC in the late 2000s, when the company became a public limited company (NEPA PLC). But because nothing changed in terms of the availability of power supply to Nigerians, the company was backronymed “NEVER EXPECT POWER AT ALL. PLEASE LIGHT CANDLE!!! What???? 9ja!!! Expectedly, FG got fed up with NEPA after 33 years and changed its name to Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) in 2005 using the legal instrument known as the Electric Power Sector Reform Act (EPSRA) 2005. This essentially unbundled the vertically integrated power company, NEPA, into 18 Holding Companies made up of 6 Generation Companies, 12 Distribution Companies covering all 36 States of the Federation, and a national power transmission company (TCN). Na so “Unbundling” entered our lexicon o. This unbundling paved way to what is the most complex and problematic privatization of electric utilities in the history of the world. I remember frantically writing that it should never be done in the manner it was planned. Experienced NEPA staff did the same but who sai? Privatization took place on 01/11/2013 but darkness did not disappear. What seemed to happen was, the then “NEPA” continued “Holding” the Darkness forth. Realizing that a transmutation of OLD NEPA will not change by merely changing its name, Nigerians gave PHCN a nickname unfortunately described as PLEASE HOLD CANDLE NOW. Some would even say the “Problem Has Changed Name” again (PHCN). Habaaaaaaaa! Wetin we kon do now???
It’s now more than 10 years since our trial experience of privatization. In November 2024, it will be 11 years. Nigerians still enjoy around 3,500MW of electricity supply. UP NEPA refuses to die.
From “Never Expect Power Always (NEPA)”, to “Never Expect Power At All. Please Light Candle (NEPA PLC)”, through “Please Hold Candle Now (PHCN)”, one thing is common, the maximum average available power supply to Nigerians has consistently hovered around 3,500MW in the period (1960 – 2024), a Whopping 64 Years!!!
The decentralization of the Nigerian Power System is about the only way left to change the narrative. Electricity Act 2023 (as amended) signed into law by HE, President Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu (PBAT) is about to change the course of history. The unbundling of the transmission company of Nigeria (TCN) is a part of it. But, it will never be a different story if Meritocracy, Pragmatism, and Honesty is not applied.
Idowu Oyebanjo, PhD was trained in the best power system in the world, the British Power System and he went there to study, garnered over 17 years of experience, learnt best practice, in order to understand how and why Nigeria got it wrong since the same Britain built the power system like for like. He thinks he knows some of the reasons why!
The Nigerian Power System 