Residents of Apete and nearby communities say a sustained improvement in electricity supply is allowing households and businesses to reduce their reliance on generators, while the broader gains are beginning to show in lower operating costs and more predictable commercial activity.
Longer power supply brings relief to households
About four weeks ago, a resident of Apete attracted widespread attention on social media by saying that electricity had become reliable enough for her to switch off her generator. She added that everything stored in her freezer was now fully frozen.
Other residents soon reported similar experiences. One Instagram user urged people to visit Adegbayi, saying the electricity there was rarely being interrupted. Another appealed to Tegbe to maintain the effort, describing nearly 23 hours and 45 minutes of daily power in Apete and saying residents were enjoying the change.
- Households are spending less time and money running generators.
- Freezers and other electrical appliances are operating consistently.
- Residents in Apete and Adegbayi are reporting markedly longer periods of supply.
Businesses benefit from lower energy costs
The effect extends beyond household convenience. Small enterprises such as barbershops, tailoring businesses, cold-storage operators and digital centres are recording lower overheads as the need to buy diesel for generators diminishes.
Factories and commercial businesses are also gaining from more dependable electricity. Greater certainty over power availability is helping companies plan production, raise local output and support employment.
These accounts are becoming part of a wider pattern of Nigerians describing practical improvements in their daily lives. The approach reflects Power Minister Joseph Tegbe’s stated objective: the success of the sector should be measured not only by megawatts generated, but also by the effect electricity has on people and businesses.
Progress in the sector remains gradual, and decades of weak performance make scepticism understandable. However, dismissing every improvement risks overlooking evidence that electricity access is becoming more dependable. The sector still has a considerable distance to cover, but the direction of travel is increasingly visible in homes and workplaces.
A governance-led attempt to repair the power chain
Nigeria’s electricity story has long been associated with darkness and the constant noise of petrol- and diesel-powered generators. Under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope agenda, the government is seeking to replace that pattern with more reliable supply.
When Tegbe took office, he argued that the sector’s longstanding obstacles were caused not only by equipment and infrastructure limitations, but also by failures in governance and implementation. The Ministry subsequently adopted an accountability-focused model intended to bring generation, transmission and distribution into closer alignment.
Tegbe has acknowledged the severity of the sector’s problems while stressing that technical shortcomings represent only part of the challenge. In his assessment, governance is the larger issue, and no single agency, department or unit can resolve the industry’s difficulties independently.
The coordinated approach has been accompanied by several operational developments:
- Idle generation facilities are being brought back into service across the country.
- Transmission capacity is being increased to move more electricity through the national network.
- The 450-megawatt Alaoji Plant has returned to operation after being dormant for three years, signalling a stronger focus on execution.
- The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission has intensified enforcement of consumer-protection rules and is pressing operators to meet their obligations.
Progress remains measured, but visible
The deterioration of infrastructure built up over many years cannot be reversed immediately. Nevertheless, reports from Apete, Adegbayi and other communities suggest that the power system is beginning to move in a more positive direction.
If the improvement is sustained, reliable electricity will increasingly displace private generators in homes and businesses across Nigeria. For households, that means appliances can keep running; for companies, it means lower energy costs and more dependable operations. In practical terms, the country is moving toward a situation in which Nigerians’ freezers can keep freezing without a generator running beside them.
