Minna — Despite hosting three major hydroelectric power plants in Shiroro, Zungeru, Jebba and Kainji Dams, residents of Niger State say they cannot boast of up to three hours of electricity supply daily.
Residents who spoke with Daily Trust said except for those on Band A feeders who enjoy relatively stable power, those on the other bands are made to contend with low electricity supply that has continued to cripple the economic and social lives of most residents.
And with the 2026 Ramadan commencing this week, they expressed concerns that the situation may have an impact on their lives.
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Many small businesses that depend heavily on electricity have also been severely affected. Tailors, computer business centre operators, hair stylists, and cold-room owners are recording significant losses, while residents are also battling extreme heat in their homes.
Daily Trust reports that Niger State hosts some of the largest hydropower stations including Kainji (760 MW), Zungeru (700 MW), Shiroro (600 MW) and Jebba (578MW).
But despite the existence of this, the residents say this has not translated into stable power supply in the state.
Speaking with Daily Trust, Abdullateef Abdulwahid, a welder in the Gbeganu area of Minna, said he now spends days completing jobs that should take only a few hours if power supply is stable.
"We have been battling with epileptic power supply for months now. It is not that we are having a problem from the transformer that powers our area, the problem is from the power distribution company.
For more than a month now, we have not been having stable light. They do bring it sometimes but at night. Are we going to work at night? We have many jobs that require electricity, but we have not been getting the light. How do they expect us to survive?", he said.
Abubakar Abdul Kuta, a resident of the Sabon-Gari area of Minna, said the electricity distribution company in the state, Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC) has continued to increase bills for customers on estimated billing despite the lack of supply.
"My experience has been very terrible and sad. For almost five days now, we've not had electricity or power in my area. We are just paying for darkness. It is not only my social and economic life that is affected; psychologically, it has affected me seriously. I am a family man with children. My aged mother is also staying with me. Each time I go to their rooms and see the way they are battling with heat because in this heat period, I become emotional about it.
"Since 1999, what has poor man benefited from this democratic dispensation? Power supply is not stable; roads are bad. We don't get water supply through the government. Security of lives and property is not guaranteed. Why is it that we cannot have steady power supply? Government House and offices are now solar powered. This shows that there is no hope for the power state as far as power supply is concerned. We would have all gone for solar but its price is beyond the reach of the poor and we are struggling to feed, where does a poor man get money for solar.
"I have a power bank but for the past one week I have not got it charged because there is no light anywhere and a few people who have their homes powered by solar don't allow the power bank to be charged. They said it drains power. I have a neighbour that has solar. So, I always plead with him to get my phone charged.
"In fact, I don't often use the internet as I used to before to enable me to conserve the battery charger of my phone. But it is not funny", he said.
Kuta also criticised what he described as preferential treatment for certain institutions and prominent individuals on Band A, that enjoy near-constant electricity supply.
"I was coming back home yesterday and the Emir's palace has light throughout. When I asked, I was told that the palace is on 33kva which means the power supply in Niger State and Nigeria is now a class thing. Government needs to look at this power supply situation. People are not finding it easy coping without power supply", he added.
Worsening water crisis
Residents also said the erratic power supply has worsened the water crisis in the state.
For instance, the State Water Board depends on public electricity to pump water, while commercial borehole operators -- who supply water to many households -- have all stopped operations due to unreliable power and the high cost of running generators.
Hauwawu Muhammad, a resident of El-Waziri in Bosso area of Minna, told Daily Trust that a truck containing ten jerricans of water now sells for between N1,500 and N2,000.
She appealed to the government to address the power crisis to improve residents' living conditions.
Also speaking, Usman Garba, who lives along Nateco Road in Tunga area of Minna, said his area had been without electricity for more than three days.
"Epileptic power supply has caused a lot of problems especially those whose small businesses rely on electricity. This shouldn't continue because we are getting fed up with the situation. Even water scarcity is biting hard because of epileptic power supply and fasting is already around the corner. I am on prepaid but some of my neighbors are on the general billing system and they have been giving them expensive billing. We have settled quarrels several times between AEDC staff and the residents who are on the estimated billing system and this should be stopped", he said.
Residents also alleged that whenever transformers develop faults or cables are vandalised, communities are forced to contribute money for repairs. They said they are often made to sign undertakings, stating that the distribution company did not compel them to contribute, even when the company fails to meet its responsibilities.
Ahmed Isah, a barber, noted that some of his colleagues have closed their shops and turned to commercial motorcycle riding to survive.
"Many barbers have shut down because electricity is not stable, and using a generator is too expensive. We use rechargeable clippers, but even charging them is a problem. Power sometimes comes at night when we have already closed for the day.
"Meanwhile, the less electricity we get, the higher our bills. Customers often fight with electricity distribution officials when they come to disconnect houses that haven't even received power", he said.
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Analyst seeks litigation to address inequality
Commenting on the issue, a public analyst, Lawal Ibrahim, said there is a need for all Nigerlite Senior Advocates of Nigeria (SANs), the Niger State NBA Chairman, and all Human Rights Lawyers to rise in ending the electricity injustice in the state.
He said the irony confronting the state is both painful and unacceptable by every logical standard, Niger State should be a power hub of Nigeria.
"Yet paradoxically, our people remain trapped in darkness. Despite the genuine and visible interventions of the Farmer Governor, Mohammed Umar Bago, including the procurement and installation of transformers across communities, electricity supply in the state remains erratic, unreliable, and deeply discriminatory. Government's effort alone cannot succeed where distribution injustice persists unchecked."
"The situation is worsened by what many citizens now describe as "banditry in electricity distribution" by the Abuja Electricity Distribution Company. Through arbitrary Band A, B, C, and D classifications, citizens are divided and punished unequally.
"Communities that rely on these lines are forced to endure prolonged darkness while paying for infrastructure they often funded themselves. This is inequity in its most blatant form, and it has no constitutional or moral justification. Electricity is not a favor allocated by discretion; it is a public necessity tied directly to human dignity, security, education, healthcare, and economic survival. A state that generates power for the nation must not be condemned to darkness by administrative injustice."
