Nollywood legend, Pete Edochie has bemoaned the epileptic supply of public electricity in the country, revealing he spends N40,000 everyday to provide power in his house. He explained that the daily amount covers different sources of power used in his home.
Giving a breakdown of his daily expenses on power, Edochie said “I spend about ₦10,000 every day buying electricity units. Then I spend ₦20,000 on diesel to power the generator and another ₦10,000 on petrol for a smaller generator.
“That brings the total to ₦40,000 daily just to provide electricity in my house,” he said. With the N40,000 daily spend, that amounts up to N1.2 million in a 30-day calendar month.
The 78-year-old veteran actor, who stated this while featuring in an interview on AIT, said the situation disturbs him “a big deal” as he reflects on the hardship faced by millions of Nigerians struggling with unreliable electricity.
Edochie said, “Then I listen to people who are only interested in getting into politics and enjoying power. Nobody seems to be bothered about what’s happening to the common man.”
His comments come as Nigerians across several states complain about sharp drops in electricity supply despite the government’s band system, where Band A customers are expected to receive up to 20–22 hours of power daily.
Many Nigerians have been groaning over epileptic power supply, with complaints growing in the last few weeks amid the expensive pricing per unit. Many consumers have taken to social media in recent weeks to report receiving as little as five hours of electricity, even in Band A areas.
On Thursday, Nigerian Independent System Operator (NISO) disclosed that electricity generation dropped further below the 4,000 megawatt threshold following persistent gas supply shortages affecting thermal power plants across the country.
The grid operator disclosed that the national grid generated only 3,940.53 megawatts as of 5:00 a.m. on Thursday, which was already below the expected capacity due to existing gas supply limitations impacting a number of generating stations.
