By Mogaji Wole Arisekola
Dear Mr President,
The recent improvement in electricity supply across some parts of Nigeria is commendable. Nigerians have noticed the difference, and progress should be acknowledged whenever it occurs.
However, the challenges confronting electricity supply in Nigeria go far beyond the modest improvement currently being experienced in some areas. The crisis is not limited to generation and distribution. In my view, transmission remains one of the most critical issues that must be addressed if Nigeria is to achieve a reliable and sustainable power sector.
The Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) remains at the centre of this challenge, and I believe its structure and management require fundamental reform.
Mr President, Nigeria cannot achieve lasting progress in the power sector without addressing the weaknesses within the transmission network.
Government must create a system in which electricity transmission is driven by efficiency, accountability, technology and measurable performance.
One of the concerns frequently raised by Nigerians is that access to electricity in some areas can be influenced by personal connections, administrative discretion and alleged inducements rather than being determined strictly by system capacity and transparent operational procedures.
These concerns deserve serious investigation and, where wrongdoing is established, appropriate action.
Nigeria has experienced similar challenges in several areas of public service.
Over the years, concerns about bureaucratic delays, inefficient processes, weak oversight and allegations of corruption have affected the performance of some government institutions.
The power sector has not been immune to these problems.
The power sector has not been immune to these problems.
Look at critical areas such as transportation, telecommunications, petroleum, housing and public infrastructure. Governments have committed substantial resources to these sectors over the years, yet Nigerians have continued to demand better results, greater accountability and more efficient services.
My concern is therefore straightforward: why should transmission remain almost entirely within a structure that has struggled to deliver the level of efficiency required by a modern economy?
When the electricity sector was partially privatised, generation and distribution were opened to private participation, while transmission remained under government control. In my view, this created an imbalance in the electricity value chain.
You cannot expect generation and distribution companies to operate efficiently if the critical bridge connecting both ends of the chain remains weak.
I raised a similar concern during the administration of President Goodluck Jonathan when I argued that leaving transmission under the control of the public sector could undermine the broader reform of the electricity industry.
Nigeria’s telecommunications experience provides an instructive comparison.
Before the liberalisation of the telecommunications sector, obtaining a telephone line could take years. Access was limited, and Nigerians often complained about the bureaucratic process involved.
Following the liberalisation of the sector and the entry of private operators, telecommunications expanded rapidly. Mobile phones became accessible to millions of Nigerians, while competition and investment transformed the industry.
That experience demonstrates what competition, investment and technological innovation can achieve when barriers to private participation are reduced and effective regulation is maintained.
The petroleum sector also provides an important example of the consequences of reform. The removal of fuel subsidy and subsequent changes in the downstream petroleum market have fundamentally altered the way petroleum products are supplied and priced.
These reforms have generated significant debate and hardship for many Nigerians, but they have also demonstrated that long-standing structures can be changed when governments decide to undertake difficult reforms.
The same courage is required in the electricity sector.
Mr President, transferring generation and distribution to private investors while leaving transmission largely within the existing public structure may not deliver the transformation Nigerians expect.
The history of several government-owned commercial enterprises should make policymakers examine this issue carefully. Institutions such as the former Nigeria Airways and NITEL experienced serious difficulties before their eventual decline or restructuring.
It would, however, be unfair to suggest that every public servant is responsible for these failures. Many Nigerian civil servants work diligently and professionally under difficult circumstances.
The problem, in my view, is more fundamental: the structure itself must be designed to reward efficiency, discourage interference and make accountability unavoidable.
That is why I believe the Transmission Company of Nigeria requires a major institutional transformation.
Mr President, your administration should seriously consider a framework that allows greater private-sector participation in electricity transmission, while retaining strong and independent regulation by government.
Any serious investor entering the transmission space should be required to deploy modern technology and digital monitoring systems across the network.
Nigeria needs a transmission system in which every megawatt generated can be monitored as it moves through the network to distribution companies and, ultimately, to homes, businesses and industries.
Technology can make this possible.
Digital monitoring can improve transparency, identify losses, detect failures quickly and provide regulators with reliable data for evaluating the performance of operators.
It can also reduce the opportunities for manipulation by ensuring that electricity movement and system performance are supported by verifiable data rather than relying excessively on manual processes.
There have also been allegations concerning the management of funds allocated to transmission infrastructure and claims of improper demands within parts of the system. Such allegations should not be treated as established facts without evidence.
Where credible evidence exists, however, government agencies should investigate them thoroughly and make the findings public.
The fundamental question remains: how can Nigeria build a modern electricity industry when the transmission network cannot consistently move available power from generation companies to distribution companies?
A generating company may have the capacity to produce additional electricity, but if the transmission network cannot evacuate that power, the electricity cannot reach the consumers who need it.
Transmission is therefore the bridge between generation and distribution.
If that bridge is weak, the entire electricity value chain suffers.
Nigeria should also move more aggressively towards embedded and distributed power generation. States, industries, estates, communities and private investors should be encouraged to develop properly regulated electricity projects capable of serving defined areas.
The country is too large and economically diverse to rely indefinitely on a single centralised electricity architecture without developing complementary systems.
A properly regulated combination of national transmission infrastructure, embedded generation, renewable energy, private investment and modern distribution networks could give consumers more options while reducing pressure on the national grid.
Mr President, the recent improvement in electricity supply is a welcome development, but it should be regarded as a beginning rather than the conclusion of the reform process.
If your administration genuinely wants to transform Nigeria’s power sector, create jobs, revive industries and reduce the cost of doing business, transmission reform should receive the same level of attention as generation and distribution.
Generation has undergone reform.
Distribution has undergone reform.
Transmission now deserves equally fundamental reform.
Government must create a system in which efficiency is rewarded, investment is encouraged, corruption is deterred and every participant in the electricity value chain is held accountable for measurable results.
The objective should not simply be to privatise for the sake of privatisation. It should be to build a transparent, competitive and technology-driven electricity system that serves Nigerians better.
The time for comprehensive reform is now.
Mogaji Wole Arisekola writes from Ibadan.
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