Peter Obi, former presidential candidate, has expressed serious concerns about Nigeria’s ongoing power crisis following the latest collapse of the national electricity grid.
Beyond Boders recalls that on Tuesday, many Nigerians experienced blackouts as the national grid failed once again. Since January 2024, the grid has collapsed 10 times, with three incidents occurring in just one week in October, causing frustration among Nigerians.
In a statement on Wednesday, shared on X (formerly Twitter), Obi compared Nigeria’s power challenges with South Africa’s recent progress. South Africa recently celebrated seven months of uninterrupted power, producing around 40,000 megawatts of electricity. In contrast, Nigeria struggles to generate and distribute only 10% of that amount.
Obi pointed out that all Nigerians, regardless of region or religion, face the same difficulties with electricity. He dismissed claims that certain groups receive better treatment in the power sector, saying, “Is there any tribe in Nigeria that enjoys uninterrupted power supply like South Africa? I am labelled a tribal bigot. When I ask if any religion enjoys special privileges in this crisis, I am called a religious bigot. But I will continue to speak the truth about our situation today.”
Obi stressed that real solutions require unity and strong, visionary leadership. “The fact remains that we are all suffering equally from this failure,” he said, urging Nigerians to reject divisions based on tribe or religion and instead focus on electing competent leaders.
He emphasized that Nigeria needs leaders who can drive development by shifting from a consumer-driven economy to a productive one.
Obi concluded by calling for investments in vital areas like health, education, and infrastructure to lift people out of poverty and improve electricity production and distribution.
