Report highlights limited daily electricity access for Nigerian households

The average Nigerian household receives just 6.6 hours of electricity per day, according to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS). This finding, disclosed in the bureau’s latest publication, Nigeria Residential Energy Demand-side Survey Report 2024, marks the NBS’s first comprehensive survey into household energy access, usage, and expenditures.

Conducted across nine states, the survey sought to better understand how Nigerian households access and spend on electricity. The report was produced in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Power (FMP) and the Energy Commission of Nigeria (ECN), covering a diverse sample from the nation’s six geopolitical zones, including Akwa Ibom, Bauchi, Ekiti, Oyo, Enugu, Kwara, Plateau, Kano, and Sokoto.

The survey revealed that 58.2% of households in these states are connected to the national grid, with access rates varying significantly: Ekiti led with 79.7%, while only 20% of households in Sokoto reported a connection. Households in southern states are generally more likely to have grid access than those in the north, with Plateau State having the highest connection rate at 95.7%.

Electricity Access and Billing Systems

The survey found that 86.6% of grid-connected households reported receiving some level of electricity in the past month, with an average daily supply of 6.6 hours. On the electricity billing system, 85.2% of households are on estimated billing, while only 14.8% use prepaid meters. Bauchi reported the highest rate of estimated billing at 97.9%, while Plateau recorded the highest prepaid use at 30.9%.

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Electricity Costs and Expenditures

The average monthly household expenditure on electricity stood at ₦4,155.8. Enugu households reported the highest spending, averaging ₦7,319.4 per month, followed by Plateau at ₦6,153.6. Bauchi households had the lowest average expenditure at ₦2,647.7.

Solar Power and Alternative Energy Sources

Among surveyed states, only 4.8% of households had solar power access, with the majority using solar home systems (90.9%) and a small portion connected to solar mini-grids. On average, these households received solar electricity for nine hours per day, with some households incurring an average monthly solar energy cost of ₦7,037.

For households without grid or solar access, alternative energy sources such as diesel or petrol remain essential, with an average of 7.38 liters purchased monthly at a price of ₦763 per liter. Most fuel was bought at petrol stations (86.7%), while street vendors supplied 13.3%.

This survey offers crucial insights for policymakers and stakeholders aiming to address Nigeria’s energy access issues, highlighting both the need for greater electricity connectivity and the rising costs impacting households across the country.