The Nigeria Youth Forum (NYF) has urged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to revoke the licences of underperforming electricity distribution companies (DisCos) and attract credible investors with the technical and financial capacity to rescue Nigeria’s struggling power sector.
The group’s call comes amid mounting public frustration over erratic power supply and a privatization model widely seen as having failed to deliver value.
In Abuja, the NYF National President, Comrade Toriah Olajide Filani, expressed concern over the sector’s poor performance.
He noted that electricity supplied to over 200 million Nigerians is less than the power capacity of a single international airport in Europe.
“Compare Amsterdam International Airport with Nigeria as a whole—the power available at that airport alone surpasses our entire national grid output. It’s a reflection of poor leadership and infrastructure planning. Nigeria calls itself the giant of Africa, yet our power output tells a different story,” Filani said.
He noted that while Nigeria generates about 7,000 megawatts, only 5,000 megawatts are distributed due to obsolete infrastructure and poor investments by DisCos—issues that continue to stifle economic growth.
Filani warned that failure to act decisively could squander the country’s last chance to fix the power sector.
“The time for reform is now or never. If we can’t get it right under the new Electricity Act and investment roadmap, then we may never fix it,” he said.
The NYF proposed a performance-based regulatory framework by the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC), with licences subject to regular review. DisCos failing to meet service benchmarks should be replaced by more competent operators, the group said.
The Forum also recommended the establishment of a DisCo Recovery Task Force to audit post-privatization investments and identify weak links.
It further urged the federal government to empower states to develop their own electricity markets through a proposed Subnational Power Autonomy Acceleration Fund.
On energy diversification, Filani called for increased investment in renewables—solar, wind, biomass, hydro, and waste-to-energy—alongside tax incentives, import waivers, and funding for underserved communities.
The NYF also decried the continued use of estimated billing and called for nationwide prepaid metering.
It proposed an Electricity Watchdog app to allow citizens to report outages, overbilling, and service failures.
Filani stressed the importance of linking electricity planning to industrial zones, noting that steady power to manufacturing hubs could drive job creation and economic growth.
The Forum’s position echoes recent criticisms by Senator Adams Oshiomhole, who recounted how he personally bought and installed a transformer in Abuja, only for the Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC) to claim it as its asset while still issuing high bills.
“The whole idea of privatization was for private investors to inject capital. But individuals, communities, and state governments are now funding transformers and poles, while DisCos still collect revenues as if they made the investments,” Oshiomhole said.
Senate President Godswill Akpabio also expressed disappointment, saying DisCos have largely taken over public assets without meaningful upgrades.
President Tinubu himself recently acknowledged that privatization had not achieved its goals, noting that over 90 million Nigerians still lack access to electricity.
He said the national grid meets just 15 percent of demand, with capacity inching from 3,000 megawatts in 2013 to 4,000 megawatts in a decade—far below the 40,000-megawatt target set for 2020.
To tackle the crisis, Tinubu announced a $122.2 billion investment blueprint under the National Integrated Electricity Policy (NIEP), aiming to overhaul the sector by 2045. Power Minister Chief Adebayo Adelabu described the NIEP as a “living document” shaped by public and private sector input.
Still, the NYF insists that without structural, ethical, and operational reforms, no policy can deliver lasting change.
“Privatization without accountability is a fraud against the Nigerian people. The presidency must enforce existing laws, ensure transparency, and invite competent investors who can truly light up the nation,” Filani said.
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