The Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) has criticized the recent statement by the Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, describing his claim that over 150 million Nigerians now enjoy “adequate electricity” as an outrageous misrepresentation of Nigeria’s energy realities.
In a press statement signed by its President, Comrade Joe Ajaero, on Wednesday, the NLC dismissed the Minister’s claim, anchored on the availability of 5,500 megawatts of electricity, as both “pretentious” and “a bad joke.”
The Congress argued that the country’s persistent energy woes and the lived experience of millions of Nigerians clearly contradict the Minister’s assertions.
“This wild assertion is not only pretentious, it is a bad joke on a people daily confronted by grinding darkness, outrageous electricity tariffs, and a power sector manipulated for private profit,” Ajaero stated.
Nigeria should be generating 150,000MW – NLC
The NLC emphasized that electricity remains one of the most pressing challenges facing Nigerians, particularly in the face of frequent blackouts, skyrocketing electricity costs, and exploitative billing practices. The Congress questioned how 5,500MW could be deemed adequate in a country of over 200 million people, pointing out that even during its best moments, Nigeria’s grid generation capacity has remained erratic and grossly inadequate.
“Nigeria should be generating 150,000MW to justify such a claim, yet, even on its best day, the country’s electricity generation never exceeded 5,500MW – and that figure remains unstable and unreliable.”, the statement read,
NLC blames DisCos, GenCos privatisation
The labour union also raised concerns about the continued privatization of the power sector, accusing operators of focusing on profits rather than service delivery. It noted that the lived realities of citizens, in both urban and rural communities, reveal a starkly different picture from that painted by the Minister.
NLC went on to say, “We want to ask, is Nigeria’s standard different from the world standard? Where are the power plants that make this level of supply possible? Where is the upgraded transmission infrastructure to support such output?
“Why are our homes still shrouded in darkness, and our factories shutting down daily? This is not how performance is measured, but could be likened to a joke carried too far. The truth is that millions of Nigerians, from urban slums to rural communities, continue to live without access to electricity.
“The few who have access do so under constant threat of disconnection, blackouts, and financial exploitation through a complex pyramid of inflated tariffs.
“The crisis we face today is the direct result of the grand betrayal that was the 2013 power sector privatisation—an exercise that handed over the nation’s critical infrastructure to cronies for just N400 billion. Over a decade later, there has been no improvement in service delivery. Yet, these same GenCos and DISCOs, which have failed the nation woefully, are to receive over N4 trillion in public subsidies with zero accountability.”
Back story
Last week, the Minister of Power disclosed that approximately 150 million Nigerians now have access to adequate electricity, while 80 million still lack reliable power.
- He made this known during the 2025 Ministerial Sectoral Update Conference held in Abuja.
- Adelabu stated that the progress stems from Nigeria’s participation in the “Mission 300” initiative—an ambitious joint effort by the World Bank and the African Development Bank (AfDB) aimed at providing electricity access to 300 million Africans by 2030.
He stated that Nigeria, with a population of over 240 million, currently provides adequate electricity access to 150 million people.
