NIGERIA: Lagos Residents Take To Streets In Protest Over Persistent Power Outages

By Onoja Baba, Nigeria 

Frustration over prolonged blackouts erupted in Lagos on Thursday as residents staged a street protest against what they described as “epileptic” electricity supply crippling daily life and businesses across the state.

A viral video shared widely on social media captured a group of mostly young demonstrators marching through the Fadeyi area, carrying placards and chanting slogans.

Messages on the placards included “No more estimated billing,” “No more epileptic power supply,” “No light, no life, no nation,” and “You’re destroying, killing so many businesses; give us regular light.”

One protester was heard shouting in the footage: “We are not asking for too much. Make them give us light!”

The demonstration highlighted the severe impact of unreliable power on small businesses, households, and overall economic activity in Africa’s most populous city.

The Lagos protest is the latest in a wave of similar outcries across Nigeria.

On Sunday, the Nigerian Youth Congress (Boripe Local Government Chapter) in Osun State condemned the persistent lack of stable electricity, calling it economically destructive.

On Tuesday, business owners in Effurun and Uvwie areas of Delta State held a peaceful demonstration against high tariffs and erratic supply.

The demonstrations come amid warnings from industry experts that the power crisis could worsen. Dr Joy Ogaji, Chief Executive Officer of the Association of Power Generation Companies, recently alerted that gas suppliers may halt supply to thermal power plants due to an estimated N3.3 trillion debt owed by generation companies, potentially leading to further blackouts in the coming weeks.

Residents and civil society groups have repeatedly called on the federal government, distribution companies, and regulators to address the root causes, including infrastructure decay, debt cycles, and estimated billing practices.

No official response had been issued by the Lagos State Government or the relevant federal agencies as of Thursday afternoon.

The protests underscore growing public anger over a power sector that continues to fall short of delivering reliable electricity despite repeated

promises of improvement.