The Federal Ministry of Power’s plan to spend a whopping N8 billion in the 2025 budget to educate Nigerians about paying their electricity bills on time has sparked widespread outrage.
Many see it as insensitive, wasteful, and entirely unnecessary—one of the most absurd proposals the power sector has seen since Nigeria privatized its electricity assets.
Back in 2013, the federal government sold over 60% of its power sector assets to private investors, claiming it didn’t have the resources to sustain the industry.
These investors were supposed to bring in the funds needed to boost power supply and ensure bill collection. But despite privatization, the government has continued pouring billions into the sector, raising questions about why taxpayers are still footing the bill for responsibilities that should belong to private companies.
Now, the Ministry of Power is asking for N8 billion to run a sensitization campaign that, frankly, should be handled by the private sector. Why should public funds be used to teach Nigerians to pay their bills when private companies are already in charge of collections?
Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, defended the proposal during his budget presentation to the National Assembly. He claimed the campaign would address issues like power theft, poor payment habits, and vandalism of power infrastructure. He added that the campaign would utilize various media platforms to reach Nigeria’s population of over 200 million.
But critics aren’t buying it. Many Nigerians, including the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), have slammed the proposal. NLC President Joe Ajaero didn’t mince words, calling the demand “absurd” and accusing the sector’s leadership of incompetence.
“While the minister is asking for N8 billion to educate us, contractors at the Transmission Company of Nigeria, who are essential to delivering power, are being owed over N200 billion,” Ajaero said.
Critics argue that if the government has N8 billion to spend, it should be used to fix critical power infrastructure. Investing in better electricity generation, transmission, and distribution would speak louder than any awareness campaign. After all, reliable power supply would naturally encourage Nigerians to pay their bills on time.
As the debate continues, Nigerians are urging the National Assembly to reject this proposal and push for more responsible spending in the power sector. The focus, they say, should be on fixing the system—not wasting billions on campaigns that private companies should handle.
