The Labour Party’s presidential candidate in the 2023 elections, Peter Obi, has expressed concern over the persistent collapse of Nigeria’s national grid.
The former governor of Anambra State took to social media to lament the country’s ongoing power supply challenges.
On Tuesday, Nigeria experienced another widespread blackout following the collapse of the national grid. This latest failure, which occurred around 1:52 pm, was attributed to a series of trippings involving transmission lines and power generators.
The Transmission Company of Nigeria confirmed the incident, which came less than three weeks after a similar breakdown.
Obi reacted to the incident on Wednesday, noting that the frequent collapse of the grid has become a disturbing norm. He pointed out that, just a few days earlier, South Africa, once Nigeria’s economic rival in Africa, had celebrated seven months of uninterrupted power supply.
He highlighted the contrast between South Africa’s electricity generation capacity of 40,000 MW and Nigeria’s struggle to generate and distribute even 10% of that amount. Despite these vast differences, Obi lamented that Nigerians continue to suffer from daily power outages.
In his statement, Obi emphasized that the root of the problem was not linked to tribal or religious divisions. He decried the tendency to label those raising concerns as “tribal bigots” or “religious bigots,” asserting that the country’s electricity crisis affects all Nigerians equally.
He called for a shift towards visionary leadership, urging the country to focus on electing leaders who are not only competent but also capable of transforming Nigeria into a productive economy.
Obi further stressed that addressing Nigeria’s electricity challenges requires prioritizing investments in critical sectors like health, education, and infrastructure. He called on Nigerians to unite in their pursuit of progress and to elect leaders who can tackle the country’s energy deficit and lift the population out of poverty.
Reacting, Obi in a statement on Wednesday lamented that the collapsing of the national grid is “now regular news”.
The former Anambra governor lamented that “just a few days ago, on the 25th of October, South Africa was the second-largest economy in Africa behind Nigeria until recently, with a quarter of our population, celebrated seven months of uninterrupted power supply.
“South Africa generates and distributes about 40,000 MW of electricity, while Nigeria struggles to generate and distribute just 10% of that. Yet, despite this stark disparity, Nigerians continue to endure daily power outages.
“And when I ask the question: is there any tribe in Nigeria that enjoys uninterrupted power supply like South Africa? I am labelled a tribal bigot.
“When I ask if any religion enjoys special privileges in this crisis, I am called a religious* bigot. But I will continue to speak the truth about our situation today.
“The fact remains that we are all suffering equally from this failure. The solution lies not in tribal or religious affiliations but in visionary leadership and a shared commitment to progress.
“We must set aside these primordial sentiments and elect leaders who are competent, capable, and have the vision to transform our nation from a consumer-driven economy to a productive one by investing our meager resources in critical areas of development like health and education, lifting our people out of poverty, and ensuring increased electricity production and distribution”.
