Electricity is as old as civilization itself; we only found a way to harness it by the 19th century after several years of technological advancement. Two centuries later, this commodity has become so indispensable that it forms the core of almost everything we do, from running businesses, industries, hospitals, schools, and homes to charging personal devices. In fact, electricity is synonymous with ‘light’ because it powers electric bulbs. Yet, despite being the 8th largest exporter of crude oil in the world and sitting on more than 200 trillion cubic feet of gas reserves, Nigeria remains plunged in a darkness characterized by an inadequate and erratic power supply. This systemic failure creates rippling effects across institutions that rely on the national grid, not to mention hundreds of rural homes that lack access to it. One such institution is the University of Ibadan (UI), heralded as the ‘First and Best’, but which remains, at best, a dark tunnel. It is just one of the 141 Nigerian public universities haunted by years of struggles for a sustainable and reliable power supply. Each crisis is closely followed by another – their length and frequency as unpredictable as the power supply itself. At this point, it is not about searching for a light at the end of the tunnel; we must exit it completely. And to do this, we must first understand the root cause of the problem.
The National Energy Crisis
Electricity generation in Nigeria began in 1896 with the installation of a 60kW plant to provide electricity for Lagos. The first utility company known as the Nigerian Electricity Supply Company was created in 1929. By the year 2000, the National Electric Power Authority (NEPA) – a monopoly owned by the federal government – was in charge of the generation, transmission and distribution of electricity. Following the return to civilian rule in 1999, policy focus shifted to the transfer of ownership and management of power infrastructure to the private sector. This led to the enactment of the Power Sector Reform Act in 2005, paving the way for the National Electric Power Policy aimed at building an efficient electricity market. That same year, NEPA was replaced by the Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN). PHCN comprised 18 successor companies, including six generation companies (GenCos), eleven distribution companies (DisCos), and one transmission company (TCN). By November 2013, all the generation plants and ten distribution companies were completely privatized, with the government retaining ownership of TCN. Electricity thus flows from GenCos to TCN to DisCos and finally to consumers. DisCos collect tariffs, which they transfer up the chain, and they are often at the receiving end of consumer backlash. UI, for example, is supplied by the Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company (IBEDC).
It is difficult to tell which is better between the government-run and privatized electricity systems because they have both failed to provide adequate and reliable power supply. Since 2013, progress has stagnated, with power supply oscillating between 4,000–6,000MW, which is far below the 30,000–40,000MW threshold for over 230 million Nigerians. As of March 17, 2026, 16 out of 33 power plants were not supplying electricity, dragging generation down to just 3,705MW. Output dips even lower on some days, especially with the frequent collapse of the national grid. A total of 12 collapses occurred in 2024 alone, four in 2025, and two so far in 2026. It is even more disturbing that Nigeria has an installed capacity of about 13,000MW but struggles to supply 5,000MW. Isn’t such an underutilization best explained by dilapidated infrastructure and gross mismanagement? Each segment of the supply chain complains of huge debts: TCN claims it is owed ₦457bn, GenCos claim they are owed ₦6.8tn (though the government disputes this figure, putting it at ₦2.8tn), and DisCos who claim a total revenue loss of over ₦2.3tn are themselves accused of owing the Federal Government over ₦2.6tn in unpaid remittances to the Nigerian Bulk Electricity Trading Company (NBET). In January 2026, the Federal Government raised ₦501bn bonds to clear a fraction of the debt they owe to GenCos. These external factors coupled with internal factors contribute to the electricity crisis in UI.
Where the Tunnel Starts and Where We Are
The odd truth about UI’s electricity crisis is its chronic nature. Hardly any set is immune to it, and with every complaint, a damning pattern becomes crystal.
In June 2011, Uites engaged in physical demonstration after enduring two weeks of blackout. According to the protesters, the school was supplied a measly three hours daily electricity sparking an outrage and birthing a seven-day ultimatum to the Federal Government, demanding at least four times the daily power supply.
In April 2012, another protest, tagged “Occupy UI” broke out. The then Students’ Union President, Edosa Raymond Ekhator, called the demonstration unavoidable because examinations were approaching. However, the Deputy Vice-Chancellor Administration, Prof. Afolabi Bamgbose, who represented the Vice-Chancellor, regarded the protest as unnecessary, insisting the institution was trying its best, and spending ₦20 million monthly to power its generators to run for at least 3 hours to supply uninterrupted power daily, despite receiving ₦4 million less, annually, from the government. And in an unsurprising twist of fate, he alleged the real reason students were protesting was because they wanted their exams to be moved. Plus, 3 hours referred to as uninterrupted power? Quite a stretch.
In 2016, yet again, students blocked the university’s entrance over the exact same lack of basic necessities. The protest was triggered by the university’s decision to rusticate a 500-level petroleum engineering student, Michael Tunji Epeti, who led a protest earlier in November 2015 at Independence Hall over erratic power and water supply. The counter-protest forced university management to abruptly shut down the campus – a cunning textbook strategy used to silence dissent.
In the heat of these crises, the Federal Government in partnership with Germany through the Nigerian-German Energy Partnership (NGEP) initiated a $15 million 10MW solar project for the university. The project was intended to take the university off the national grid, saving over 60% of electricity costs and serving as a training ground for engineering students. There was a brief moment of jubilation about the new development, but this was followed by a long period of deafening silence. Nothing was heard of the project till 2024.
The consequences of governmental neglect reached a devastating climax last year. On July 16, 2024, chaos rocked the university community when an internal memorandum signed by the Director of Works and Maintenance, Engineer O.A. Adetolu, announcing a new schedule for a 10-hour daily electricity rationing surfaced. Consequently, the Students’ Union president, General Secretary, and Speaker issued a joint statement demanding the memo’s immediate withdrawal and calling for yet another protest. Unsurprisingly, the university management denied issuing the memo. The power supply, however, gradually took the memo’s form.
On October 6, 2024, the University College Hospital (UCH) was disconnected by IBEDC over an outstanding debt of ₦495 million. While the hospital management agreed that some debt had been inherited from the past administration, they said it was nothing close to the amount being quoted by IBEDC. Students took to the streets on January 22, 2025, demanding immediate restoration of power supply at UCH under the hashtag #SaveUCH. Speaking to protesters at the Federal Secretariat, Oba Adewole, Head of Housing, Oyo State, promised that power will be restored to UCH by Friday, January 24, 2025. “Between now and Friday, there will be light in UCH,” he said. But this was an outrageous lie because nothing happened. In response, students protested again on February 10, ahead of the Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu’s visit to UCH.
After several back-and-forth negotiations between UCH and IBEDC – in which IBEDC insisted on an upfront payment of ₦250 million – both sides found a common ground and power was eventually restored to UCH on February 12, 2025 after a stunning 103 days of blackout. Unfortunately, power supply to Alexander Brown Hall (ABH) and Ayodele Falase Post-Graduate Hall was delayed; it took a third protest before power was restored after 109 days of blackout. Regrettably, this unprecedented blackout not only caused irreparable damage to lives but also led to an enormous waste of time and resources, even outweighing the debt owed to IBEDC. Few would have believed this could happen to the country’s foremost teaching hospital. We may as well call this the most embarrassing moment in the struggle for adequate and reliable power supply – but how can we be sure the worst is not yet to come?
Even the UCH blackout resolution was an illusion. The crisis merely took a new form. For fear of accumulating further debt, the hospital management began aggressively rationing supplies to residences and even critical service areas. This move triggered a five-day warning strike in March 2026 by the UCH staff unions, including the Nigerian Union of Allied Health Professionals (NUAHP) and the Association of Resident Doctors. Before the strike, the power supply at ABH was being rationed for eight hours daily, with fewer hours and even nothing on some days. Following the strike, however, power supply improved within UCH and ABH to about 16 hours daily. It remains to be seen if this is not another tactic to calm the storm.
Contemporaneously, trouble has been brewing on campus to the surprise of many who had begun to attribute the electricity crisis to UCH alone. All this while, it seemed UI was doing fine without any major crisis. This is because internal crises like the transformer blowing up or underground connections developing faults are familiar stories in UI. This is worsened by frequent interruptions from IBEDC. That blackouts are notoriously timed with exam periods remains a mystery yet to be unravelled. Even when there is apparently no issue with IBEDC, some halls within the campus receive much less power supply than the rest of the school. One wonders what criteria this decision is based on. Well, let’s face the current crisis.
Since April 2026, UI students have been battling erratic power supply, attributed to a faulty transformer at the Ring 5 axis of the University, which supplies the Great Independence, Nnamdi Azikiwe, Obafemi Awolowo, and Sultan Bello Halls. Yet, it remains a puzzle why the erratic power supply affects all spots on campus. The situation was even more dire for Kenneth Mellanby and Lord Tedder Halls, who suffered a total blackout following a breakdown of the transformer serving both halls. Students were left groping in darkness and heat without adequate water supply or means to charge their devices. Multiple memos circulated offering mere assurances of progress and assessments, but the reality was a gruelling delay of interventions.
The prolonged outage quickly ignited fierce arguments, with the Students’ Union President, Adeboye Temidayo, accusing the Mellanby Hall Chairman, Unah Simon, of irresponsibility. The Hall Chairman lashed back, accusing the SU President of complete negligence, alleging that while students suffered without water, the President was comfortably in office recording dance videos for TikTok. In an attempt to salvage the situation amidst mounting student outrage, the UISU leadership issued a 48-hour ultimatum to the University Management, demanding the immediate restoration of stable electricity across the campus.
Was power restored within the 48-hour ultimatum? No. Following its expiration, the Union convened an emergency meeting on April 30. The outcome of the meeting? Further deliberations, discussions — you name it. Fortunately, the faulty transformer supplying Kenneth Mellanby and Lord Tedder Halls was fixed earlier this month. However, the problem of erratic power supply lingers. Further compounding this problem is the persistent strike actions by the Non-Academic Staff Union (NASU) and the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU). When these bodies go on strike, electricity and water supply shuts down. Under a Joint Action Committee (JAC), the bodies began an indefinite strike which commenced on May 1. Without mincing words, this means agony for students and the entire university community. Before this strike, the living conditions were already terrible. The strike action has only institutionalized the lack, amplifying the sufferings of the average student. In a revolt, students have begun a protest which started in the early hours of Wednesday, May 6. If it is not IBEDC or strikes, it is either transformers or underground connections. It is a common sight to find students searching for places to charge their devices. It is even more common to find them hauling kegs and buckets of water over long distances. Access Bank is the hotspot for charging, while Jaja clinic provides water. We cannot continue like this.
Any Way Out?
From the many lessons drawn from history, one thing is clear: we must exit this tunnel. Even if there is no opening, we will create one, carving our way through the barriers with every fibre of our strength – otherwise, we will remain in darkness and still protest and still write, sadly.
First, we need better leadership because with it comes better management of our abundant natural resources. We cannot afford to scramble for electricity in the 21st century while sitting on huge gas reserves. We need better leadership because our current leaders have failed us. Just recently, on April 22, 2026. Nigeria’s minister of power, Adebayo Adelabu, resigned to pursue gubernatorial goals ahead of the 2027 elections. In his resignation letter to President Tinubu, he wrote, “It has been a rare honour to contribute to national development under your leadership and to play a role in advancing reforms in the power sector – one of the most critical foundations of Nigeria’s industrial growth and economic transformation.” It may well be argued that the only true statement here is one after the em dash. Adelabu failed the nation, and if advancing the power sector was truly his interest, then he failed himself too. How else will he explain the over 25 national grid collapses and persistent power supply issues during his tenure? He should have resigned in admittance of his failure, not to accrue more political power. This is why we need better leaders – competent, transparent, and responsible leaders.
Secondly, and most importantly, UI and UCH must expand self-generation capacity, combining it with a structured, rather than complete, reliance on the national grid. This majorly includes solar installations and, to some extent, micro-hydropower generation from Awba Dam as pilot tests on the dam have successfully generated 15kW using locally fabricated turbines. Solar installations are starting to become a norm in the status quo. These, funded by alumni bodies, the university management, and other independent organizations, are already ongoing. For example, the UK-based Ibadan Medical Specialists Group funded the solarization of the medical students’ reading room in the Department of Anatomy, while the Physiotherapy Class of 1992 provided solar inverters for their home department. UCH has received multiple solar inverter donations between 2025 and 2026 to combat power outages and improve patient care in key departments. Major donations include a 60kVA unit from NEST360, a 20kVA system from the COMUI 1994 MBBS/BDS set, a 15kW system from the Nathaniel Idowu Foundation, and a 10.2kVA system from the Association of Moremi Women of Southern California. The Great Independence Hall recently completed a multi-phase solar installation project to light up its corridors, restrooms, and reading rooms across all blocks. Similar infrastructural shifts have occurred in ABH, Queen Idia Hall, Obafemi Awolowo Hall, Kenneth Dike Library, and even the Vice-Chancellor’s residence. More so, the Students’ Representative Council (SRC) Chambers was recently solarized through the support of itel Energy. These initiatives greatly cushion the electricity crisis. We need more of them – better coordinated and more comprehensive ones.
Had it not remained a mere wish, the 2016-promised 10MW solar project would have averted the crisis we are battling with today. It was not until 2023 that investigations revealed that the project site had been overtaken by weeds, with stakeholders largely silent on the multi-billion-naira initiative. To awaken the sleeping project, the federal government integrated it into the Rural Electrification Agency (REA) National Public Sector Solarization Initiative, with UI and UCH among the primary beneficiaries. ₦100 billion was earmarked in the 2025 budget for the project. The Minister of Power at the time, Adebayo Adelabu, stated that a solar-powered mini grid for UI and UCH would be completed by late 2025. This is May 2026 and we are still hoping. May this project not end up like the former. Meanwhile, a stunning ₦10 billion was allocated from the 2025 budget with an additional ₦7 billion from the 2026 budget to solarize Aso Rock. The project has been completed, with plans to fully disconnect from the national grid. Not only does this show that the government has succumbed to its failure, but it also signals that institutions should save themselves.
It is worth adding that the electricity crisis cannot be completely eliminated anytime soon, thus we must be prepared to face it when it comes. The university management should, of course, repair or replace faulty transformers and reconstruct underground connections. To alleviate suffering in times of crisis, solar-powered water pumps and charging hubs should be provided, considering that some solar-powered halls of residence have lit corridors but no powered sockets for charging. Solar-powered lecture halls should be equipped with fans to prevent suffocation and heat. Moreover, it is not only when water runs out completely that we should realize there is a shortage. Large reservoirs should be built such that when the main supply runs out, students can fetch water from them, while an alarm is raised to signal a shortage. This will ensure a constant supply of water. Adopting the solutions discussed so far is a step in the right direction out of this dark tunnel. A mind that knows cannot be truly free unless it acts upon that which it knows.
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