Peter Obi Slams Tinubu’s Govt Over National Grid Collapse
Peter Obi, the 2023 Labour Party presidential candidate, has criticized President Bola Tinubu’s administration over the recurring national grid collapses, describing the situation as a “national shame” and a clear indication of leadership failure.

The Issue at Hand
Nigeria’s national electricity grid has collapsed multiple times, plunging the country into darkness and disrupting power supply across major cities. Despite billions of dollars invested in the power sector, the country struggles to generate and distribute sufficient electricity.

Peter Obi’s Concerns
Obi highlighted that¹ ²:
– Repeated Blackouts: The frequent power outages are a national embarrassment and evidence of poor leadership.
– Leadership Failure: The current administration has presided over more national grid failures and power outages than any government in Nigeria’s history.
– Comparative Analysis: Countries like South Africa, Egypt, and Algeria generate significantly more electricity, with South Africa producing over 40,000 megawatts, Egypt generating a similar amount, and Algeria surpassing 50,000 megawatts. Nigeria, however, struggles to produce less than 10,000 megawatts.

A Call to Action
Obi urged President Tinubu to prioritize generating and distributing more electricity to power businesses, especially small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), which will create jobs and grow the economy. He emphasized that investing in electricity would unlock industrial growth, create millions of jobs, and boost the economy.³

Remembering Tinubu’s Promise
Obi reminded Tinubu of his campaign promise, stating that if he fails to provide constant electricity within his first term, Nigerians should not re-elect him. Unfortunately, the president’s administration has failed to deliver on this promise, leading to repeated blackouts and economic hardship.

“A New Nigeria is Possible,” Obi concluded, emphasizing the need for urgent and comprehensive reforms in the power sector to prioritize measurable development goals and improve the lives of Nigerians.

The post read, “The impact is too glaring for Nigerians to forget the promise of Mr. President while campaigning on 22nd December 2022 that: “If I Don’t Give You Constant Electricity in The Next 4 Years, Don’t Vote For Me For Second Term”.

“For a nation already stated to have more people living without electricity than anywhere in the world, there could not be any more firm comforting political promise than this.

“Yet APC and its current Government have presided over more national grid failures and power outages than any government in our history. There are now repeated blackouts despite billions in power investments.

“Over the years, billions of dollars have been spent on the power sector in Nigeria. In fact, Nigeria has spent more on power generation with little or no increase in supply, than countries like Vietnam, Egypt, Indonesia, and Bangladesh. Yet, while some of these nations have proudly doubled their electricity generation, and distribution by adding tens of thousands of megawatts to transform their economies and increase their GDP, Nigeria has barely crawled from 4,500MW to 5,000MW.

“With a GDP of about $200 billion, Nigeria has the capacity to significantly boost its economy if it invests properly in electricity. Generating even a bare minimum of 10,000MW could raise our GDP by about 50%, which will unlock industrial growth, and create millions of jobs. But rather than focusing on this, which will improve our economy, we are focused on coastal roads that will contribute far less to our economic growth, while factories shut down, jobs disappear, businesses collapse, and ordinary Nigerians live in darkness.”