NBS Reports: 58% of Nigerian Households Connected to National Grid

The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) has reported that 58 percent of households in Nigeria are connected to the national grid.

This information was published in the bureau’s “Nigeria Residential Energy Demand Side Survey (NREDSS) 2024,” which was launched in Abuja.

The survey covered nine states—Akwa Ibom, Bauchi, Ekiti, Oyo, Enugu, Kwara, Plateau, Kano, and Sokoto—representing the six geopolitical zones of the country. A total of 8,100 households from both urban and rural areas participated in the survey.

According to the NBS, 86.6 percent of grid-connected households have access to electricity. Of these, 85.2 percent are billed through estimated billing, while 14.8 percent use a prepaid system. The average monthly expenditure on electricity was estimated at N4,155.8.

In 2024, Nigeria’s national grid has experienced eight collapses, starting on February 4 and followed by failures on March 28, April 15, July 6, August 5, and three more in October—on the 14th, 15th, and 19th.

Adebayo Adelabu, the minister of power, attributed these frequent failures to outdated infrastructure and emphasized the need for increased investment in power infrastructure to prevent further incidents.

The Nigeria Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) is set to hold a public hearing on October 24 regarding these grid failures, and the federal government has formed a forensic investigative committee to address the issues.

The survey also revealed that 67.8 percent of Nigerian households rely on fuelwood for energy, with 41 percent purchasing it and 39 percent collecting it themselves.

Additionally, 22 percent of households use charcoal, and 19.4 percent use liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), with an average monthly expenditure of N10,239.7 on LPG.

The NBS recommended that the government promote tree replanting and the use of clean energy sources such as LPG, wind, and solar to mitigate environmental issues like air and water pollution, climate change, and waste disposal.

The bureau also suggested establishing more LPG stations and encouraging local production of gas cylinders to lower costs and optimize electricity generation through the decentralization of the national grid with mini-grids.