The path to reliable power begins with the grid. It begins with transmission lines that can carry electricity across long distances. It begins with substations that are modern and secure. It begins with institutions that are transparent and accountable. It begins with a commitment to treat electricity as a public good rather than a political tool.
THIS piece responds to the recent news that Aliko Dangote intends to generate a significant volume of electricity for Nigeria. The announcement has created a wave of optimism. Many Nigerians see it as a sign that private initiative may finally deliver what public institutions have struggled to provide. Yet the central truth remains unchanged.
Nigeria’s power crisis is not caused by a shortage of generation. It is caused by the weakness of the national grid. The grid is too fragile, too unreliable and too poorly managed to move electricity across the country.
Nigeria has lived through many promises of new megawatts. Governments have set ambitious targets. Investors have unveiled large projects. Some plants have been completed and some have produced power. Yet the country remains in darkness because the grid cannot carry electricity from the point of generation to the point of use.
The system fails under modest pressure. It cannot support industry. It cannot guarantee supply for homes. It cannot sustain national development.
This is why every new generation project must be viewed with caution. A country cannot solve a transmission problem by adding more generation. It is like filling a container that leaks from every side. The power will not reach the people who need it. Nigeria’s grid is old and overstretched. It requires renewal, expansion and disciplined management. Without these, new power plants will only add to the list of stranded assets that sit idle because the grid cannot absorb their output.
The deeper issue is governance. Transmission infrastructure demands long term planning. It demands steady investment. It demands regulators who act in the public interest. It demands a state that treats electricity as a foundation of national progress. Nigeria has not yet built such a state. The grid suffers from political interference. It suffers from weak institutions. It suffers from inconsistent policy. It cannot deliver stability because it has never been treated as a national priority.
Private actors can contribute, but they cannot replace the state. They can build plants. They can supply equipment. They can invest in innovation. But they cannot create a national grid without the state becoming a personalist corporatocracy, a billionaire state or a monopoly state. Only the state can do that. Only the state can set the rules. Only the state can enforce standards. Only the state can build a system that serves every region and every citizen. A country that relies on private ambition without public structure will remain vulnerable.
Nigeria must face this reality. The path to reliable power begins with the grid. It begins with transmission lines that can carry electricity across long distances. It begins with substations that are modern and secure. It begins with institutions that are transparent and accountable. It begins with a commitment to treat electricity as a public good rather than a political tool.
Nigeria has the talent and the resources to build such a system. What it needs is resolve. Until the grid is fixed, the country will continue to generate hope but distribute disappointment.
- Dr Adeyemi teaches at the University of East Anglia, UK
