*Photo: President Bola Tinubu*
A former lawmaker, Senator Ben Murray-Bruce has called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to undertake a fundamental restructuring of Nigeria’s electricity sector, arguing that the 2013 privatisation of the industry has failed to deliver reliable power.
Murray-Bruce made the call in an open letter to the President titled “Start the Dance on Electricity: The Privatisation Failed. The Owners Are Billing Darkness.”
He said the country’s electricity crisis required more than additional government interventions, arguing instead for a decentralised model in which communities, estates and local businesses could generate and distribute power within their areas.
The former lawmaker cited recent electricity generation figures and the sharp fall in grid output on August 22 as evidence of what he described as the sector’s persistent weakness. Generation reportedly fell to 1,132 megawatts at about 8:30pm that day, with several major generating stations recording zero output.
According to Murray-Bruce, the 2013 privatisation amounted largely to a transfer of ownership rather than a comprehensive reform capable of providing the capital and technical capacity required to modernise the sector.
He argued that many of the private owners lacked the financial capacity required to operate electricity utilities serving a population of more than 200 million people, and urged the government to rethink the ownership and financing structure of the industry.
Murray-Bruce also criticised the distribution companies over the large number of unmetered customers, arguing that estimated billing was unfair to consumers who frequently receive inadequate electricity supply.
“An industry that cannot generate power has discovered it can still generate revenue by billing darkness,” he said, describing the practice as a burden on consumers.
He acknowledged the complaints by generating companies over unpaid debts but argued that private operators should also be prepared to invest in the sector rather than rely primarily on higher tariffs and government support.
As an alternative, Murray-Bruce proposed a community-based electricity model under which residential estates, communities and other local clusters could obtain financing to establish solar power systems and operate metered networks.
He suggested, for example, that a large residential estate could secure a bank loan backed by a state government guarantee to develop sufficient solar generation capacity for its residents, with consumers paying regulated tariffs for the electricity supplied.
The former senator said the model could be replicated across communities, estates and local government areas, creating new investment opportunities while reducing dependence on the national grid.
He further proposed that state governments take greater responsibility for powering streetlights, primary healthcare centres, schools, police stations and other state-level facilities, largely through solar energy, while the Federal Government focuses on federal institutions and infrastructure.
Murray-Bruce also urged Nigerians to hold state and local authorities accountable for electricity responsibilities devolved to them under the Electricity Act 2023, which opened the way for states to regulate electricity markets within their jurisdictions.
He pointed to the continued reliance of households and businesses on generators as evidence of the economic cost of unreliable electricity and argued that Nigeria was already spending heavily to provide alternative power.
The former lawmaker cited Aba as an example of what he described as the potential of decentralised power, noting that the city maintained electricity supply during a national grid collapse earlier in the year through the Geometric Power system and its dedicated network.
Murray-Bruce acknowledged that responsibility for the electricity crisis cuts across the Federal Government, state governments, generating companies and distribution companies. He nevertheless urged President Tinubu to take the lead in resetting the sector’s operating model.
He concluded by expressing confidence that a decentralised and properly financed electricity system could significantly expand access to reliable power within four years.