Yunus Akintunde: Political interference, low funding responsible for Nigeria’s energy poverty

Yunus Akintunde, senator representing Oyo central under the All Progressives Congress (APC), has cited costly infrastructure and insufficient investment as major barriers to reducing energy poverty in Nigeria.

Akintunde made this known on Tuesday at the second edition of the Nyaudoh Ndaeyo public lecture at the University of Uyo, Akwa Ibom.

The lawmaker noted that over 81 million Nigerians still lack access to electricity, with rural communities being the hardest hit.

Akintunde said he had engaged with key stakeholders, including the rural electrification agency (REA), the federal ministry of power, the Energy Commission of Nigeria, and state-level rural electrification boards, in an effort to address the problem.

However, he pointed out that political interference, sub-standard off-grid technology, economic challenges, and corruption are major hindrances to rural electrification efforts in the country.

“Politicians interfere with the orderly planning and running of rural electrification programmes,” Akintunde said.

“Most of the off-grid equipment imported into the country is sub-standard and not durable, while some officials involved in these projects often display rent-seeking behaviour.”

He also identified inadequate power generation, poor transmission infrastructure, and frequent blackouts as additional issues.

“There is the problem of inadequate electricity generation—12,522 MW installed capacity, 4,000 MW actual generation,” Akintunde said.

“We also struggle with poor transmission infrastructure, frequent blackouts, insufficient investment, and corruption in the energy sector.”

Despite Nigeria’s wealth of energy resources, including a renewable energy potential of 207,000 GWh from solar and 50,800 GWh from hydro, the country continues to grapple with energy challenges.

To address these issues, Akintunde proposed several reforms, including decentralising the REA to enhance decision-making at the local level and improve rural electrification programmes.

He called for public policies that would incentivise private sector investment in off-grid electricity, promote renewable energy technologies, and introduce alternative funding strategies for rural electrification.

Additionally, Akintunde suggested the creation of a fund to support innovators in scaling up off-grid power generation ideas.

The senator emphasised the need for a legal framework to guide rural electrification initiatives and urged the government to implement climate change legislation to support low-carbon development.

He also stressed the importance of engaging stakeholders to ensure sustainability and called for the strengthening of regulatory bodies and training centres to facilitate the transition to renewable energy sources.