Peter Obi, the Labour Party presidential candidate in the 2023 general election, has condemned the continuous collapse of Nigeria’s national grid, describing it as a recurring problem that has caused significant hardship to Nigerians.
In a statement shared on his verified X handle on Friday, Obi expressed concern over the today’s power grid collapse, which occurred just 11 days into the new year.
Obi highlighted that the country had experienced similar grid collapses at least 12 times in the previous year alone, exacerbating the economic challenges faced by households and businesses across the nation.
The former Anambra governor criticized the government’s failure to make significant progress in solving the nation’s energy crisis, despite the fact that over $3.23 billion had been borrowed in the last four years to address the problem.
“The situation is baffling. Despite massive borrowing, Nigeria’s power generation has stagnated at about 4,500 megawatts, a far cry from what is needed to meet the needs of the population. One has to ask, where is all the borrowed money going?” Obi remarked.
He emphasized that the recurring grid collapses reflect a lack of serious commitment from the government to the country’s development and criticized the widespread corruption that hampers progress in critical sectors like electricity generation.
“This lack of commitment by our leaders, combined with the corruption that pervades every aspect of our national life, continues to drive our nation into a state of retrogression and backwardness,” Obi said.
Calling for a fresh start in the new year, Obi urged the government to learn from past mistakes and focus on improving the power sector, stressing that without reliable electricity, households and small businesses would continue to bear the brunt of Nigeria’s economic challenges.
He appealed to the government to prioritize sustainable solutions to the energy crisis as a matter of national urgency.
