Only 13m Nigerians are registered to use electricity – TCN

The General Manager of Regulation and Compliance at the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN), Mr. Ali Bukar Ahmad, has said that out of an estimated population of 230 million, only 13,112,132 million Nigerians are officially registered to use electricity.

Ahmad made the disclosure on Thursday at the National Institute of Physics webinar Series 2.0 titled “Policy, Regulatory, and Technical Constraints in Achieving Energy Security in Nigeria: The Way Forward.”

He pointed out that among the over 13 million customers, 44.23 percent have been provided with meters, and from the entire Nigerian population estimated at 230 million, merely 2.52 percent are metered.

He also revealed that 60 percent of customers with meters are bypassing them, which adds to the country’s energy poverty issues.

According to Ahmad, energy security means having a consistent and affordable supply of energy, while energy poverty refers to the absence of a sufficient, quality, and uninterrupted energy supply, along with its associated services and products.

“For a country to be truly independent politically and economically in the 21st century, it must have energy sovereignty and independence, and the sovereignty and independence must be secured at all times and backed by the relevant geopolitics.

“In Nigeria, we have four types of energy poverty: the unserved, the underserved, the poor quality of supply, and the served.

“Energy security in turn is the bedrock for sustainable development, and the attainment of it should leave no one, no citizen, behind,” he explained.

Ahmad pointed out that Nigeria’s energy vulnerability stems from several issues, including an over-reliance on gas, insufficient production capacity, and the unreliability and high cost of gas supply.

He noted that the signs of energy vulnerability include deteriorating and ineffective infrastructure, a lack of clear and accountable energy services, vandalism, and a shortage of political and financial resources to tackle these problems.

The TCN boss called for the commencement of immediate utilisation of all energy sources in all parts of the country and for more electricity export and import corridors in the country to be opened.

He urged that all tiers of government should be involved in electricity supply and encouraged the NIP to invest in research and documentation to help address the challenges of energy security in Nigeria.