Obi: I Won’t Promise Nigerians 24-Hour Electricity in Four Years

Presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Peter Obi, has said he will not promise Nigerians uninterrupted electricity within four years if elected president, describing such a pledge as unrealistic.

Obi made the remarks during an interview on Channels Television on Sunday, explaining that while improving electricity supply would be a major priority of his administration, achieving round-the-clock power nationwide within a single presidential term would not be feasible.

“I will not tell them I’m going to give them reliable, stable, 24-hour electricity within four years,” Obi said.

“It is impossible because if you want to build a power plant, it will take you about four years to build a power plant. If you want to build and improve our transmission line, it will take you a number of years.”

Instead of making what he described as unrealistic promises, Obi said his administration would focus on strengthening electricity generation, transmission and distribution to provide more reliable power across the country.

According to him, Nigeria is already capable of generating more than 10,000 megawatts of electricity, but the major challenge lies in transmitting and distributing the available power efficiently.

“We will be able to generate more than 10,000 megawatts. We are doing that today—we are generating more than 10,000—but we are not able to transmit that,” he said.

“I said we will be able to generate more than 10,000, transmit and distribute that.”

The former Anambra State governor also pledged to promote embedded power projects by replicating decentralised electricity models that have recorded success in parts of the country.

He cited Geometric Power in Aba as an example, saying similar projects should be developed in industrial centres such as Kano to support manufacturing activities in areas including Bompai and Sharada.

Obi further argued that confidence in the electricity sector could only be restored if the Federal Government settled outstanding debts owed to electricity generation companies.

He said the accumulated debts had discouraged investment and hindered improvements in the sector.

The NDC candidate also promised transparent governance, saying he would avoid making unrealistic commitments and would always explain any challenges preventing the delivery of campaign promises.

According to him, politics should be based on honesty, accountability and practical solutions rather than unattainable pledges.