By Tunde Yusuf

The deepening electricity crisis in Nigeria once again raises a fundamental question: who should control a vital sector like power, and in whose interest should it be run? After more than a decade of privatisation, the answer is clearer than ever. The experiment has failed, and it is the working masses who continue to pay the price through outrageous tariffs, erratic supply, and systematic exploitation.

Privatisation has not delivered efficiency, investment, or improved service. Instead, it has entrenched a system where electricity is treated as a commodity for profit rather than a basic social necessity. Generation remains abysmally low, infrastructure is in decay, and millions of Nigerians are forced to live and work in darkness or rely on expensive alternatives. At the same time, private operators continue to benefit from public funds and tariff increases, while offering little in return.

This reality highlights the urgent need for a decisive alternative. The electricity sector must be taken out of private hands and placed under public ownership, but not the kind of bureaucratic state control that has failed in the past. What is required is democratic public ownership, where workers, communities, professional engineers, and labour unions collectively participate in the management and decision-making processes of the sector.

Only through such a transformation can electricity be run in the interest of the majority. Democratic control would ensure transparency, eliminate corruption driven by private profiteering, and align the sector with the needs of the people rather than the dictates of the market.

A central component of this alternative is the immediate provision of free prepaid meters for all Nigerians. Access to a meter should not be a luxury; it is a fundamental requirement for fair and transparent billing. The continued practice of estimated billing and the commercialisation of meters is nothing short of organised exploitation, forcing consumers to pay for electricity they do not use. The government must take responsibility for the mass production and installation of prepaid meters at no cost to consumers.

Equally important is the abolition of the so-called “banding system,” which has effectively institutionalised inequality in electricity access. By categorising consumers into different bands based on supply hours and tariff levels, the system creates a form of energy exploitation, where the ability to pay determines access to a basic necessity. This must be replaced with a fair and transparent tariff structure that reflects the real cost of production, not inflated profit margins, with subsidies targeted at low-income households.

In addition, there is a pressing need for massive public investment in renewable energy under democratic control. Nigeria is richly endowed with solar, wind, and hydro resources, yet these remain largely untapped due to the profit-driven logic of the current capitalist system. A publicly owned and democratically managed power sector can prioritise long-term sustainability, expand access to underserved communities, and reduce dependence on fossil fuels, all while creating jobs and driving industrial development.

Under genuine democratic public ownership, electricity would cease to be a source of exploitation and instead become a tool for social transformation. It would be publicly owned and collectively managed, ensuring accountability to the people. It would be affordable and accessible, with tariffs structured around service delivery rather than profit. It would be developed strategically to support national industrialisation, create employment, and improve living standards. Above all, it would serve as a foundation for improving healthcare, education, and overall social welfare.

The struggle for a publicly owned electricity sector is therefore not just about power supply; it is part of a broader fight for a society organised in the interest of the working masses. It is a call to challenge a system that prioritises profit over people and to build an alternative rooted in democratic control and social justice.

The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Trade Union Congress (TUC), and all progressive organisations must take up this demand as part of a wider mobilisation against neoliberal policies and economic exploitation. The call to nationalise the power sector must be linked to the broader struggle for a living wage, affordable public services, and a socialist alternative.

The time has come to end the failed experiment of privatisation. The power sector must be reclaimed and reorganised to serve the needs of the people. Only then can electricity truly become a tool for development and liberation, rather than a mechanism for profit and inequality.