“And God said, ‘Let there be light’; and there was light.”
— Genesis 1:3
Light is one of the most basic metaphors for life, safety, hope, and order. Darkness, by contrast, often becomes a breeding ground for fear, crime, stagnation. In Nigeria today, widespread darkness (literal and metaphorical) is contributing directly to insecurity, stalling industry, driving unemployment, and weakening the economy. Unless this is addressed decisively—especially via reliable electrical power—we risk further descent.
The Link: Darkness, Insecurity, Unemployment, Economic Decline
1. Darkness and Insecurity
•When power is absent, public spaces are poorly lit, security systems fail, law enforcement has less visibility; this enables crime (theft, vandalism, kidnappings) to grow.
•Empirical data: According to Beacon Security and Intelligence Limited (BSIL), in the first six months of 2025, Nigeria recorded 6,800 deaths and 5,400 abductions due to insecurity.
•Between July 2024 and June 2025, there were 4,722 abductions and over N2.57 billion in ransom paid, with 762 people killed in that period.
•In 2023, non-state actors killed 3,841 persons, abducted 4,243 others.
These are not mere statistics but reflections of communities living in fear; where darkness (including for hours each day) compounds the risk.
2. Power Deficit: What Nigeria Has vs What It Needs
To stabilise safety, support industry, attract investment, Nigeria needs far more reliable electricity than what currently exists.
•Installed generation capacity: ~ 13,625 MW (grid-connected power plants).
•Actual available generation on average (recent months): ~ 5,500–6,000 MW. For example, in July 2025, about 5,577 MW was available—roughly 41 % of installed capacity.
•Grid instability: In 2024, over 62 % of installed capacity was idle on average, due to factors like ageing plants, gas supply shortfalls, transmission constraints.
•Peak records: In early 2025, the government claims Nigeria achieved ~ 6,003 MW available power generation (March 2, 2025), with a peak evacuation ~5,801.44 MW.
•What is needed: Although no single number is universally agreed, many analyses suggest Nigeria needs at least 30,000-33,000 MW of stable generation to ensure consistent supply to homes, industries, and services, to reduce reliance on backup generation, and to support economic growth. (Some sources make this requirement, though exact citations are variable in public domain and may rely on modelling.)
3. Unemployment, Industry, and the Vicious Cycle
•When industries cannot operate reliably—power outages or insufficient power—they lose productive hours, increase cost of operations (e.g. using diesel generators), reduce competitiveness or even shut down.
•Data: Manufacturers’ expenditure on alternative energy (generators etc.) rose to N1.11 trillion in 2024 from ~N781.68 billion in 2023, a ~42 % increase.
•Also, many businesses cite energy cost as major overhead; unreliable power contributes to job losses, low investment.
•Unemployment remains high; many youth therefore are drawn into criminality (banditry, kidnappings, cultism) when legitimate economic options are few. While direct causal mapping is complex, the correlation is strong: insecure zones tend also to be zones with poor infrastructure, weak power supply, lower industrial presence.
4. Economic Losses and Fiscal Strains
•The Federal Government needs large sums to maintain subsidies, repair vandalised infrastructure, and respond to outages. For example: in Q1 2025, government spent N536.4 billion (≈ US$350 million) on electricity subsidies, covering ~59.16 % of the billed costs to DisCos.
•Sector debt: The generation, transmission, and distribution companies are owed about ₦4 trillion due to unpaid invoices and subsidy distortions.
•Loss of output: World Bank and others have estimated that unreliable power supply costs the Nigerian economy at least US$29 billion annually in lost productivity, business closures, etc.
Empirical Gaps and Clarifications
•Some of the popular claims (e.g. “required power is exactly 33,000 MW”) are based on projections of demand, population growth, industry needs; however, many recent reports do not provide a firm consensus number. What is clear is that current generation, transmission, and distribution are far below what is required for both social and economic stability.
•Also, some figures (like “installed capacity”) are often higher than “available capacity” due to plants being offline, fuel shortages, transmission constraints, or inefficiencies. So discrepancy between what could be generated and what is reliably supplied is large.
Consequences of Persistent Power Deficit
1.Escalation in Crime and Insecurity
Poor lighting, failed CCTV, inability to patrol in the dark — all make response times slower and embolden criminal enterprises.
2.Human Costs
Lives lost, kidnappings, displacements of people, deterioration in health outcomes (due to non-availability of power in hospitals), disruption of education (studying at night without electricity). While I did not find reliable data specifically for homelessness caused solely by power failures, there is clear overlap: insecurity displaces people, and displaced persons often lose shelter, become homeless.
3.Economic Stagnation
High cost of doing business, loss of investment, industries relocating or shutting, low productivity.
4.Fiscal Drain
Enormous subsidies and compensation; funds spent on self-generation instead of being invested in infrastructure; budget resources diverted to fixing breakdowns, repairing vandalised lines, etc.
The Way Forward: Powering Nigeria, Securing the State
To break this cycle, what must be done:
1.Massive Investment in Generation Capacity
Bring plants online (hydro, gas, renewables), ensure fuel/gas supply for thermal plants; develop grid-linked solar and wind where geographically possible.
2.Upgrading Transmission & Distribution
Many plants are underutilised or unable to evacuate full generation due to bottlenecks. Reinforce transmission lines, substations; reduce technical and commercial losses (via better metering, theft prevention, maintenance).
3.Ensuring Plant Availability
Plant downtime (maintenance, fuel shortages, breakdowns) must be reduced by better operations, asset management, skilled workforce, consistent policy.
4.Policy & Regulatory Environments
Stable tariffs, cost-reflective pricing; improving subsidy framework; clear laws and enforcement against vandalism; better governance, transparency in contracts and financing.
5.Promote Off-Grid & Distributed Power Solutions
Mini-grids, solar home systems, hybrid grids especially in areas where grid rollout is slow. This will help reduce darkness more quickly, bring light to remote/rural communities, reduce dependence on costly generators.
6.Security of Infrastructure
Protection of power lines, transformers, substations; enforcement against vandalism; community involvement in protecting infrastructure; better surveillance and response for attacks on the grid.
7.Financing and Private Sector Participation
Mobilise investment from domestic and foreign sources; public-private partnerships; indigenous companies need enabling environment (access to capital, regulatory support).
Role of Indigenous Power Companies (e.g. Income Electrix Limited)
A company like Income Electrix Limited (with 30+ years’ experience and end-to-end power value chain capability), and indeed other local players, should be encouraged by government both at the National and sub-national levels through well structured partnerships to do the following:
•Localised Generation Projects: Setting up small to medium sized generating plants (solar, gas, hybrid) closer to load centers to reduce transmission losses, reduce grid bottlenecks.
•Mini-grids and Hybrid Systems: Especially in rural or peri-urban communities, Income Electrix can build mini-grids (solar with battery backup, or gas + solar mix) to provide reliable power quicker than waiting for central grid extension.
•Industry Partnerships: Offering captive or embedded generation solutions for industries (factories, agro-processing, etc.) to ensure stability, reduce their cost burdens, and improve productivity.
•Metering and Distribution Innovations: Ensuring proper metering reduces losses, ensures revenue flows; smart metering, prepaid metering, and working with DisCos or communities to improve collection and customer satisfaction. Income Electrix Limited already has a functional 3 million per year capacity Metering Facility located at Inna in Akwa Ibom state that can serve a lot of the metering needs in the country.
•Maintenance and Operational Excellence: Given the high idle capacity and breakdowns, a company with good asset management can help refurbish old plants, maintain existing infrastructure, reduce downtime.
•Financing Models and Local Content: Using local engineering, procurement, construction to reduce cost; leveraging local finance; possibility of off-take agreements, private investment blended with donor funding.
•Community Engagement & Security: Working with local communities to safeguard infrastructure; training and employing locals for maintenance, surveillance; using local knowledge to reduce vandalism.
Recommendations & Call to Action
•The government should set a clear target: e.g. reach 20,000 MW available generation within next 5 years, with measurable interim milestones.
•Strengthen institutions responsible (like NERC, the Nigerian Independent System Operator, Transmission Company) with accountability and resources.
•Targeted financing: debt relief for power sector, better contracts, transparent project implementation.
•Incentivise indigenous firms: reduce bureaucratic lag, ensure single-window licensing, tax incentives where appropriate.
•Integrate energy planning with security planning: lighting in high risk areas, electrification as part of rural development, combining power rollout with policing, social services.
Conclusion
Light is not just a metaphor. It is a necessity. By “letting there be light”— delivering reliable electricity across Nigeria—we open the path to safer communities, functioning industries, employment, and renewed economic growth. Without it, darkness—literal and metaphorical—breeds insecurity, stagnation, and despair. It is time for Nigeria to treat electrical power not as a luxury, but as the cornerstone of security and economic recovery.
Dr. (Engr.) Emmanuel Audu-Ohwavborua (FNSE)
Group Executive Director (Technical & Operations)
Income Electrix Limited