DisCos Apologise to Nigerians Over Prolonged Blackouts, Call for Urgent Intervention

Electricity Distribution Companies (DisCos) have apologised to Nigerians over persistent power shortages, acknowledging the hardship caused by weeks of inadequate electricity supply across the country.

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

Oduntan acknowledged the difficulties faced by households and businesses, saying Nigerians deserved an apology for the prolonged disruption to electricity supply.

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

He also criticised what he described as a return to the blame game among operators in the electricity sector, warning that disagreements between stakeholders were preventing a coordinated response to the crisis.

Oduntan recalled that similar accusations among distribution companies, transmission operators, generation companies and gas suppliers had characterised the industry between 2016 and 2019.

He said the DisCos had previously blamed the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN), while transmission operators pointed to generation companies, which in turn blamed gas suppliers and payment difficulties.

“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,” he said.

Oduntan Questions Conflicting Explanations

The ANED chief also questioned the explanations provided by the Nigerian Independent System Operator (NISO) and the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC) regarding the causes of the electricity shortages.

According to him, NISO had attributed the supply challenges partly to low water levels and inadequate gas supply, while the NNPC subsequently issued a statement indicating that gas was available.

Oduntan argued that the NNPC needed to clarify whether outstanding payments were affecting gas deliveries to electricity 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 talk to us whether there are payment issues. We need to know whether gas was paid for and delivered, who did, who didn’t,” he said.

He urged the Minister of Power to bring the relevant stakeholders together to establish the actual causes of the supply disruptions and ensure that responsibility was clearly determined.

The ANED chief maintained that continued exchanges of accusations among gas suppliers, NNPC, TCN and NISO would not resolve the crisis without stronger leadership and coordination.

Prolonged Blackouts Increase Public Frustration

The apology comes amid growing complaints from households and businesses struggling with inadequate electricity supply in recent weeks.

The situation has also renewed questions about the electricity Band A, B and C tariff classifications, which are linked to the minimum daily supply customers are expected to receive.

Customers, including those on Band A, which carries a minimum supply commitment of 20 hours daily, have continued to complain about inadequate power supply.

The outages have also intensified the pressure on households dealing with hot weather, while rising petrol and diesel prices have made alternative power generation increasingly expensive.

Installing solar panels, batteries and inverters remains financially out of reach for many households and small businesses.

The crisis has attracted criticism from public figures, including veteran actress Kate Henshaw, who questioned why Nigerians continued to struggle with reliable electricity and described households as having effectively become mini-factories because of their dependence on self-generated power.

Content creator Cute Abiola has also appealed to President Bola Tinubu over the hardship caused by inadequate electricity and the difficulty of accessing alternative sources of power.

Tinubu’s Electricity Promise Under Renewed Scrutiny

The latest crisis has brought renewed attention to Tinubu’s 2023 campaign promise to improve electricity supply and end estimated billing.

During a meeting with members of the Organised Private Sector in Lagos, the President pledged to ensure Nigerians had access to electricity and would no longer be subjected to estimated bills.

“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.

With electricity shortages continuing to affect households and businesses, pressure is mounting on the relevant operators and government authorities to provide a coordinated explanation and restore more reliable supply.