Former Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, has strongly criticised the Federal Government over the recurring collapse of Nigeria\u2019s national electricity grid, describing the situation as a \u201cnational shame\u201d and a clear sign of leadership failure.<\/p>\n
Obi made the remarks in a statement posted on his X (formerly Twitter) handle on Saturday, reacting to the latest grid collapse recorded in January 2026.<\/p>\n
According to him, the incident signals the start of another year of embarrassment for the country, recalling that the first grid failure of 2025 also occurred in January and was followed by several similar incidents throughout the year.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is utterly disappointing that for three consecutive years, from 2023 to 2025, our nation has been ranked as having the least access to electricity globally, with nearly 100 million citizens left without power,\u201d Obi said.<\/p>\n
The former Anambra State governor compared Nigeria\u2019s power generation capacity with that of other African countries, highlighting what he described as a disturbing imbalance.<\/p>\n
He noted that South Africa, with a population of about 64 million people, generates and distributes over 40,000 megawatts of electricity. Egypt, with roughly 115 million people, also produces more than 40,000 megawatts, while Algeria, with about 48 million people, generates over 50,000 megawatts.<\/p>\n
By contrast, Obi said Nigeria, Africa\u2019s most populous nation with more than 240 million people, produces only around 5,000 megawatts of electricity, a figure he described as \u201cabsurdly low\u201d and harmful to economic growth and productivity.<\/p>\n
He attributed the persistent power crisis to what he called repeated leadership failures, stressing that electricity remains central to national development and cannot thrive without capable and committed leadership.<\/p>\n
Looking ahead to the 2027 general elections, Obi urged Nigerians to demand better governance by prioritising competence and empathy in leadership.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs we look towards 2027, Nigeria must prioritise competence and empathy in its leadership. Anything less is unacceptable,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"