Imagine paying for 20 hours of light and getting darkness instead. That is the reality for millions of Nigerians right now, and for once, the power companies are actually saying sorry.

So, yes, you read that right. The DisCos have apologised.

The apology came on Monday from Sunday Oduntan, the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Association of Nigerian Electricity Distributors (ANED), during an appearance on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily.

“I’d like to first of all start by apologising to Nigerians. An apology is needed; it is essential because Nigerians have been taken through this problem over the past few weeks,” he said.

It is a rare moment. Usually, when the lights go out in Nigeria, everybody just points fingers.

Heat, Hustle and Frustration

Let us be honest, this is not just about “power outage” as a headline. It is about real life.

It is the small shop owner in Lagos whose frozen goods have gone bad again. It is the student in Kano trying to read at night with a torch. It is the mum in Abuja who cannot sleep because the heat is unbearable and the fan is dead.

And right now, the timing could not be worse. We are deep in dry-season heat, made even harsher by El Niño, and so many homes are struggling without fans or air conditioners. No wonder residents have taken to the streets to protest, and public figures are speaking out too.

Even customers on Band A, the premium customers who are supposed to get a minimum of 20 hours of electricity daily, are complaining that they are not getting what they paid for. So, if Band A is suffering, imagine what Bands B and C are going through.

This matters because electricity is not a luxury in Nigeria; it is survival for businesses, hospitals, schools and homes.

Nigeria has long struggled to generate and distribute enough power for its over 220 million people. Despite privatisation of the power sector in 2013, which was meant to fix things, generation often hovers far below demand, and distribution remains patchy.

When power fails, Nigerians fall back on expensive petrol and diesel generators, which pushes up the cost of everything, from food to transport to doing business. In short, a power crisis quickly becomes a cost-of-living crisis.

It also matters politically. President Bola Tinubu made electricity a big campaign promise in 2023. Speaking to members of the Organised Private Sector in Lagos, he said Nigerians should hold him accountable.

“Whichever way, by all means necessary, you will have electricity, and you will not pay for estimated bills anymore. A promise made will be a promise kept. If I don’t keep the promise and I come for a second term, don’t vote for me, unless I give you adequate reasons why I couldn’t deliver,” he said.

That promise is now being quoted back at him, loudly.

The Blame Game Is Back.

Oduntan did not just apologise; he also called out what he sees as a return to old habits.

He warned that the sector has slipped back into the blame game that plagued it between 2016 and 2019.

“Our major problem is that we have started that very wrong route that we went through between 2016 and 2019. What is that? Blame game.

“Part of what happened at that time is that people will blame the DisCos, DisCos will blame TCN, TCN will blame GenCos, GenCos will blame the gas suppliers, and gas suppliers will blame payment issues. We have returned to that, and I think there is a need to arrest that,” he said.

And he has a point. In recent days, the Nigerian Independent System Operator (NISO) blamed low water levels and inadequate gas supply. Then the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC) issued a statement saying gas was available.

Oduntan is not buying it. He accused the NNPC of telling “half-truths” and demanded clarity on whether payment issues are stopping gas from reaching the power generation companies.

“From the NNPC statement, it is very clear that they came to tell us half-truths. What I would have expected NNPC to do is to go ahead and tell us whether there are payment issues. We need to know whether gas was paid for and delivered, who did, who didn’t,” he said.

Who Does What in Nigeria’s Power Chain?

Confused about who to blame? You are not alone. Here is a quick breakdown:

- Gas Suppliers / NNPC: Provide the gas that powers most of Nigeria’s thermal power plants.

- GenCos (Generation Companies): Generate the electricity.

- TCN / NISO: Transmit the electricity across the country through high-voltage lines and manage the national grid system.

- DisCos (Distribution Companies): Deliver the electricity to your home and business and collect payment.

If one link in that chain fails, whether it is unpaid gas, low water for hydropower, or a transmission fault, the whole country feels it. That is why the finger-pointing gets so messy.

What Happens Next?

Oduntan wants the Minister of Power to step in and bring everyone to the same table.

“This back-and-forth blame game between gas suppliers, NNPC and, of course, TCN or NISO, I think the Minister of Power needs to take charge. There is a need for this leadership because, at the end of the day, they need to call them together,” he said.

Here is what to watch next:

- A stakeholder meeting: Will the Minister actually convene DisCos, GenCos, TCN/NISO and NNPC to agree on the real cause?

- A clear statement on gas payments: Nigerians need to know if gas was paid for, delivered, or withheld.

- Relief for Band A customers: Will DisCos refund or adjust bills for customers who did not get their promised 20 hours?

- A short-term fix for the heat: With temperatures soaring, any further prolonged blackouts will only increase public anger.

For now, the apology is a start, but as many Nigerians are already saying online, sorry does not power a fan.

Source: cbinewstv.com

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