Former Managing Director of the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN), Usman Mohammed, has explained why Nigeria has continued to experience unstable electricity supply despite several reforms in the power sector over the years.
Speaking during an interview on Oseni Rufai’s Nevon Podcast, Mohammed said the country’s electricity challenges have persisted because governments have repeatedly made poor decisions and failed to correct past mistakes.
According to him, one of the major reasons for the poor performance of the power sector is the appointment of people who lack the necessary skills and experience to manage critical aspects of the industry.
He also identified corruption as another major obstacle preventing meaningful progress.
Mohammed said Nigeria has often rushed into implementing policies and projects without carrying out proper research or planning, leading to repeated failures.
“The problem in the power sector has not been solved because we have made mistakes and continue to make mistakes. In Nigeria, we rush to do things without adequate studies. We put incompetent people in charge, and that is why we have been failing and continue to fail,” he said.
The former TCN boss also recalled that the administration of former President Olusegun Obasanjo made genuine efforts to improve electricity supply across the country.
However, he noted that those efforts were unable to deliver the desired results because of structural problems and poor implementation.
Mohammed stressed that fixing Nigeria’s electricity crisis requires competent leadership, proper planning, transparency and accountability.
He said the country must also ensure that qualified professionals are allowed to drive reforms if it hopes to achieve a stable and reliable power supply.
Nigeria’s power sector has continued to face serious challenges for more than a decade after it was privatised.
Despite huge investments and several policy reforms, electricity generation has remained between 3,000 and 6,000 megawatts, a level widely considered inadequate for the country’s estimated population of about 250 million people.
The inadequate power supply has continued to affect households, businesses and industries across the country.
Many companies and small business owners rely heavily on petrol and diesel generators to keep their operations running, resulting in higher production costs and increased prices of goods and services.
Experts have repeatedly argued that improving electricity generation, strengthening transmission infrastructure and expanding distribution networks are essential to boosting economic growth and improving the living standards of Nigerians.