The Coalition for Affordable and Regular Electricity (CARE) has stated that Nigeria's electricity privatisation has failed to deliver the promised improvements in power supply and service quality. Chinedu Bosah, National Coordinator of CARE, made the remarks in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria on Sunday in Lagos. He noted that despite the structural changes initiated over a decade ago, millions of Nigerians still face erratic power supply and high tariffs. Bosah pointed out that the privatisation process, which transferred ownership of generation and distribution companies from the government to private investors, was meant to increase efficiency and expand access. However, he said, the anticipated investment in infrastructure and service upgrades has not materialised at the required scale. According to Bosah, customers continue to bear the cost of a broken system, paying for unreliable service while private operators benefit from regulatory guarantees and government subsidies. He cited persistent technical losses, poor metering coverage, and inadequate generation capacity as ongoing challenges. CARE is calling for a comprehensive review of the current power sector framework to ensure accountability and better outcomes for consumers. The group also urged the government to prioritise transparency in contracts and performance metrics for electricity companies. No new policy changes or official responses were announced following the statement. The Ministry of Power has not issued a comment on the report.
When Chinedu Bosah says privatisation has not delivered, it exposes a decade-long gap between policy promises and lived reality for Nigerian households. The private operators brought neither the investment nor the efficiency expected, yet remain shielded by opaque regulations and guaranteed payments. This isn't just a failure of execution — it's proof that transferring public assets without enforceable performance terms benefits investors more than citizens. Until contracts are made public and tied to measurable service delivery, the power sector will keep failing the people.
