By Abdulwasiu Hassan

"Up NEPA" na one Nigerian slang wey don dey waka from generation to generation. E dey capture di irony of di wahala wey dey follow light matter for one kontri wey get plenty energy resources.

If you hear dat phrase for anywhere for di most populous kontri for Africa, e mean say light don come back after dem don take am, even if na for small time.

Dis acronym wey mean National Electric Power Authority (NEPA) wey no dey exist again, don enter one 2024 documentary wey dem call "Up NEPA". Di director-screenwriter Ishaya Bako use am take show di history of electricity for Nigeria and di wahala wey 200 million people dey face as dem dey try manage di unstable power supply.

Recently, for over one week, about half of Nigeria enter darkness after dem say some suspected terrorists go vandalise transmission lines for di northern part of di kontri.

Dis kain thing no just affect people life and business for di area, e still show di reality of wetin dey happen for different parts of di kontri every day.

Numbers no dey lie

Nigeria dey number ten for di world when e reach oil reserves and number eight for gas reserves.

Plus, di kontri get plenty sun wey fit help harness solar power, so e no suppose make sense why people go dey suffer di wahala of light wey dey go off and on.

But Nigeria don dey struggle to give stable electricity to di people for many years now.

Di World Bank managing director of operations, Anna Bjerde, talk say Nigeria get di highest number of people wey no get access to electricity pass any kontri wey dey face dis kain problem.

"Over 85 million people — more than 4 out of 10 Nigerians— no get light," she write for one blog post. "Say Nigeria, wey be economic powerhouse wey get plenty solar potential, dey lead for di world as di kontri wey get di highest electricity access deficit, na shocking reality."

Unfulfilled promises

Generations of Nigerians don grow up dey manage di wahala of light wey no stable, even as different governments don promise to end di problem but e never happen.

Di government don try invest for hydro, gas, and solar power plants to solve di problem. Dem even do reforms to make di sector dey work well.

From di privatisation of power distribution companies to di deregulation of di sector to attract foreign investment, nothing don really work well.

To make di sector sweet for investors, di current government don increase tariff for people wey dey use di most electricity — dem dey call dem Band A customers.

"For dis sector to work well, government go need spend at least $10 billion every year for di next 10 years. Infrastructure dey important for di sector stability, but di government no fit afford am," di power minister Adebayo Adelabu tell one parliamentary committee.

"So, we go need make di sector dey attractive to investors and lenders. And di only way na to make di pricing commercial," he explain.

But Band A customers dey vex say di premium wey dem dey pay no make sense when light dey reduce.

Grid collapse

Nigeria dey generate about 6,000 megawatts of electricity for over 200 million people, wey no reach di 48,000 megawatts wey South Africa dey generate for about 60 million people.

Experts dey blame di frequent grid collapse on di low generation and distribution of electricity.

"Sudden generation loss fit destabilise di system, wey fit lead to grid collapse," Dr Abubakar Ibrahim, founder of Enpower Energy Consult Africa, tell TRT Afrika.

E talk say vandalism of transmission lines and old infrastructure like transformers dey cause di problem wey di power sector dey face.

"Statistics show say from January 2024 till now, 66 transmission towers don dey vandalise for Nigeria. Di most recent one na di 330KV Lokoja-Gwagwalada line for November 9, wey dem vandalise three towers and carry di aluminium conductors," Dr Ibrahim talk.

The way out

While di government dey wait for investors to enter di power sector, hope still dey?

Bjerde believe say di kontri need focus on renewable energy resources sharply to solve di problem.

"Governments, starting with Nigeria, need to lead di clean energy revolution through reforms and stable policy and regulatory frameworks, wey concessional finance go support to attract private finance," she talk.

Since power generation don dey deregulate for Nigeria, di regulatory wahala no dey again.

But for power consultants like Dr Ibrahim, di solution pass clean energy revolution. "We need to modernise di grid, improve maintenance, and decentralise power generation through renewable energy investments," he tell TRT Afrika.

"Renewable sources like solar, wind, and hydro wey dey plenty for di north fit reduce di pressure on di national grid and make light dey stable."

Di 85 million-plus Nigerians wey no get light go dey hope say di new efforts to find solution no go turn another empty promise.