NBS: 58% of Nigerian households connected to national grid
By Kunle Sanni
The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) has reported that 58 percent of Nigerian households are connected to the national electricity grid, according to its latest report, the Nigeria Residential Energy Demand Side Survey (NREDSS) 2024, released on Wednesday in Abuja.
The survey, conducted across nine states—Akwa Ibom, Bauchi, Ekiti, Oyo, Enugu, Kwara, Plateau, Kano, and Sokoto—covered Nigeria’s six geo-political zones and involved 8,100 households in both urban and rural areas.
The NBS report revealed that 86.6 percent of households connected to the grid had access to electricity. Of these, 85.2 percent were on an estimated billing system, while only 14.8 percent used pre-paid meters. The average monthly electricity expenditure for households was estimated at ₦4,155.8 during the survey period.
Despite this level of grid connection, Nigeria’s national grid has experienced eight collapses in 2024, with the first occurring on February 4. Other incidents took place on March 28, April 15, July 6, August 5, and three times in October—on the 14th, 15th, and 19th.
Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, attributed the frequent grid failures to outdated infrastructure, emphasizing the need for more investment to prevent future collapses. He acknowledged that the ageing system makes such breakdowns inevitable but assured the public that the government is working to modernize the grid.
In response to the persistent issues, the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) has scheduled a public hearing for October 24 to address the frequent national grid failures and explore solutions for stabilizing the power supply.
The NBS report also highlighted that 67.8 percent of Nigerian households use fuelwood as their primary source of energy for various purposes, including domestic, agricultural, commercial, cultural, and religious activities. Additionally, the report noted that approximately 41 percent of households purchase fuelwood, while 39 percent collect it themselves.
“While 18.9 percent of households used other means such as barter, gift, and borrowing,” the bureau added, “more than half of the fuelwood is cut or collected by households, with 55.3 percent coming from branches, stems, and trees.”
Furthermore, one in five households (22 percent) use charcoal, with 21.6 percent purchasing it. The report also revealed that 19.4 percent of households use liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), also known as cooking gas, with an average monthly expenditure on LPG estimated at ₦10,239.7 across the surveyed states.
The NBS advised the government to promote tree replanting, given the widespread use of fuelwood, and to encourage the adoption of clean energy sources such as LPG, wind, and solar power.
