Human rights lawyer Inibehe Effiong has strongly criticised Nigeria’s electricity system, describing the national grid as a “bogus phrase” that reflects a failed and ineffective power infrastructure, following yet another nationwide blackout.
In a statement reacting to the total system collapse, Effiong questioned why an entire country should repeatedly experience nationwide power outages, arguing that such occurrences are unacceptable and indefensible. He said the persistent failures show that the current unitary approach to power generation and distribution is unsustainable.
According to him, electricity generation should not be the exclusive responsibility of the Federal Government. He called for constitutional and policy reforms that would allow states and local governments to independently generate and manage electricity to meet their specific needs.
Effiong argued that power challenges in one part of the country should not automatically plunge other states into darkness. “If Zamfara doesn’t have electricity, Kebbi, Abia, Ogun or any other state should not have to suffer the same fate,” he said.
He further lamented Nigeria’s inability to resolve its power crisis more than six decades after independence, describing the situation as a national embarrassment.
Effiong accused successive governments of corruption and lack of political will, stating that those responsible for the continued failure of the power sector “should be ashamed of themselves.”
Nigeria has experienced repeated collapses of the national grid over the years, leading to widespread blackouts, economic losses, and public frustration, despite several reforms and privatization efforts in the power sector since 2013.
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