Poll: Nigeria Power Supply Still Deplorable

The NOIPolls Limited has said power supply in Nigeria is still deplorable with the average cumulative power supply received per day by Nigerian households still below six hours within a 27-month period (April, 2013 to June, 2015).

The result of the power poll conducted by NOIPolls and released yesterday in Abuja for the second quarter of 2015 showed that individuals were relying and spending more on alternative sources of power to ensure efficiency in the running of their homes and businesses.

It added that more findings revealed that despite the reforms carried out in the power sector by the government, Nigerians are still facing erratic power supply as the monthly average cumulative hours received ranged from 3.9 to 8.2 hours per day, with 17 per cent of the entire population not receiving electricity at all in the period in view.

“Nigerian households receiving such low periods (hours) of power supply in the 21st century is indicative of a deficiency in infrastructural development that goes beyond theoretical reforms and unbundling of assets, while also emphasising the urgent need for an entire overhaul of the sector.

“A direct effect of this poor power supply can be seen in the massive number of Nigerians (77.5 per cent) resorting to purchasing and using alternative sources of power (such as generators, inverters, and solar panels) for residential and business purposes,” it said.

According to the NOIPolls, this has also created an additional strain on the financial burden of these households as these alternative sources are usually more expensive to maintain as opposed to direct power supply from DISCOs (power distribution firms).

Moreover, findings from previous NOIPolls power reports have shown that Nigerians typically spend between $3,302 and $3,726 on actual electricity supply while spending between $7,866 and $12,351 in running alternative sources of power supply within a 15-month period from (April 2014 to June 2015).

“In conclusion, the results from the power polls conducted from Q1 2013 to Q2 2015 revealed that an average of 17 per cent of Nigerian households did not receive any electricity from DISCOs, while majority received between 1-4 hours per day in a 27-month period (April 2013 to June 2015),” NOIPolls added.