Onanuga Dismisses Obi’s 10,000MW Power Target, Says Nigeria Already Has 13,500MW Capacity

Presidential spokesman Bayo Onanuga has criticised Peter Obi’s pledge to increase Nigeria’s electricity generation and distribution to 10,000 megawatts within four years, arguing that the target falls below the country’s existing installed capacity.

Obi, the presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), recently promised to raise power supply to at least 10,000MW if elected in 2027, describing Nigeria’s current electricity output as inadequate for its population and economic needs.

Reacting to the proposal, Onanuga stated that Nigeria already possesses an installed generation capacity of about 13,500MW, making the promise less ambitious than it appears. He argued that the country’s major challenge is not the absence of generation capacity but the inability to fully transmit and distribute the electricity produced.

According to him, improvements in the power sector require addressing transmission bottlenecks, distribution constraints, and infrastructure deficiencies that prevent available capacity from reaching consumers. He maintained that focusing solely on generation figures does not reflect the complexities facing the electricity industry.

The exchange is the latest in a series of disagreements between the presidency and Obi as political debates ahead of the 2027 general election continue to intensify. Supporters of Obi have defended the proposal, saying the target relates to actual electricity delivered to homes and businesses rather than installed capacity.

Power supply remains one of Nigeria’s most pressing economic challenges, with experts frequently pointing to weaknesses across generation, transmission, and distribution networks as obstacles to reliable electricity access.