Electricity Distribution Companies (DisCos) in Nigeria have appealed to the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN), generation companies, and gas suppliers to cease exchanging blame and instead focus on resolving the persistent power outages that have plagued the nation for several weeks. The call for unity was made on Monday by Sunday Oduntan, the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Association of Nigerian Electricity Distributors (ANED), who appeared on Channels Television's *Sunrise Daily*.
Oduntan began by offering a formal apology to the Nigerian public for the ongoing inconvenience. “An apology is needed; it is essential because Nigerians have been taken through this problem over the past few weeks,” he stated. He expressed concern that the sector has reverted to a pattern of mutual accusations similar to the one experienced between 2016 and 2019, where operators repeatedly shifted responsibility from distribution to transmission, generation, and gas supply issues.
“Our major problem is that we have started down 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,” Oduntan said.
The ANED chief also highlighted conflicting narratives regarding the root causes of the supply drop. While the Nigerian Independent System Operator (NISO) cited insufficient gas supply and reduced water levels as contributing factors, the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC) subsequently released a statement indicating that gas was available. Oduntan criticized the NNPC for providing what he described as “half-truths,” urging them to clarify whether unpaid bills were hindering gas delivery to generation companies.
In response to the dispute, Oduntan called on the Minister of Power to intervene by convening the relevant agencies and operators to establish the facts behind the crisis. “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 argued.
The power crisis has significantly impacted daily life across Nigeria, with businesses facing increased operating costs and households struggling with prolonged outages. The situation has been exacerbated by soaring temperatures, limiting the use of cooling appliances. For those relying on generators, the rising cost of petrol and diesel has added to the financial burden, while the high price of solar equipment and batteries has restricted access to alternative power sources. Even customers in the Band A tariff category, which carries an obligation of at least 20 hours of daily supply, have reported shortfalls despite paying higher charges.
The deteriorating power situation has also drawn criticism from public figures and renewed scrutiny of President Bola Tinubu’s campaign pledges. Veteran actress Kate Henshaw noted that Nigerians are forced to turn their homes into “mini-factories” to generate their own power, while content creator Cute Abiola urged the President to address the heat and unreliable electricity. These developments echo Tinubu’s 2023 campaign promise to ensure improved electricity supply and abolish estimated billing, a commitment he made while addressing members of the Organised Private Sector in Lagos.
<small>Source: Daily Post Nigeria — read the original story there.</small>
