…As power consumers pay DisCos N553.63bn for electricity in Q1 2025
By ALIYU GALADIMA
Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria ,HURIWA, has slammed the Minister of Power, Mr. Bayo Adelabu, for describing President Bola Tinubu as “a President for the Yorubas” during a recent political meeting in Ogbomosho, Oyo State.
The rights group described the comment as “reckless, divisive, and unconstitutional”, warning that such statements could further polarize the nation.
In a statement issued on Sunday, HURIWA’s National Coordinator, Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko, said the remark undermines the spirit of national unity and the constitutional role of the president as a leader of all Nigerians—regardless of ethnicity, region, or political affiliation.
“It is absolutely irresponsible for a sitting Minister of the Federal Republic to describe the President as a Yoruba President. The Constitution is clear: the President of Nigeria is elected to serve all citizens not an ethnic group”, Onwubiko said.
The group further accused Adelabu of neglecting his core responsibilities as Minister of Power, citing the worsening electricity crisis, repeated national grid collapses, and the deepening energy poverty experienced by millions of Nigerians under his watch.
“Instead of addressing the near-total collapse of the power sector under his supervision, the minister is gallivanting around Oyo State in pursuit of a 2027 governorship ambition. This is unacceptable. He should be shown the way out of the cabinet if he prefers politics to performance”, Onwubiko stated.
Adelabu, while addressing supporters in Ogbomosho last Friday, reportedly urged citizens to support Tinubu’s re-election, saying, “This is another turn of Yorubas to serve their two terms as President of Nigeria. Nigeria has a lot to benefit if Tinubu is re-elected”.
HURIWA warned that such rhetoric reinforces tribal sentiments and contravene the principles of equity, fairness, and federal character enshrined in the 1999 Constitution (as amended).
The group said Nigeria is already grappling with deep divisions and economic hardship and does not need further strain from ethnic posturing by high-ranking officials.
“We are shocked that the Minister openly promoted such an exclusive view of governance. What message does this send to millions of Nigerians from other ethnic groups who are part of this country and also voted in the last election?
“The President was elected by Nigerians and must be seen as a national leader, not a sectional one”, HURIWA said.
The association also used the opportunity to raise concerns over what it described as an emerging trend among Tinubu’s ministers and aides, who appear more invested in 2027 politics than their statutory duties.
“It specifically mentioned the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory ,FCT, Nyesom Wike, and the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Mr. Bayo Onanuga.
“It is unfortunate that ministers such as Wike and Onanuga are now dedicating their time to attacking political opposition instead of focusing on the real issues affecting Nigerians.
“Abuja, for example, is witnessing a surge in insecurity, and yet the FCT minister is obsessed with political media engagements and attacking the newly formed opposition coalition, ADC”, Onwubiko noted.
Meanwhile, the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission ,NERC, has revealed that Electricity Distribution Companies ,DisCos, collected N553.63 billion from customers in the first quarter of 2025.
According to NERC’s 2025 First Quarter Report published on its website, the amount was from a total billing of N744.27 billion issued to customers during the period.
The report noted that this represented a collection efficiency of 74.39%, compared to 77.41% in the fourth quarter of 2024, when DisCos collected N509.84 billion from a total billing of N658.40 billion.
“Which translated to 77.44% collection efficiency. The 74.39% collection efficiency recorded in 2025/Q1 is 3.05 Percentage Point ,PP, lower than the collection efficiency recorded in 2024/Q4 which represents 77.44%”, it said..
The report said that four Discos recorded collection efficiencies up to 80% with Eko DisCo recording the highest collection efficiency which accounted for 84.79% of the collection.
“Conversely, Jos DisCo recorded the lowest collection efficiency with 47.19%.
“A comparison of disCos’ performance shows that Kano had +6.55pp, Abuja +4.81pp, and Enugu +0.72pp”, it said.
According to the report, the three DisCos recorded improvements in collection efficiency between Q4 2024 and Q1 2025.
The report said that the remaining eight DisCos recorded declines in collection efficiency with Port Harcourt recording -15.11pp, Kaduna -7.12pp and Eko -5.21pp. It added that these Discos had the most significant declines over the period.
The report also said that In 2025/Q1, billing and collection efficiencies declined by 2.47pp and 3.05pp respectively, compared to the fourth quarter of last year.
“Based on historical trends, this decline inefficiencies can be attributed to the increased energy off take of +10.06% during the quarter compared to 2024/Q4.
“It has been observed that there is an inverse relationship between DisCos’ energy off take and their billing/collection efficiencies.
“Typically, when DisCos off take more energy, they often allocate the incremental energy to areas where they record historically lower billing and collection efficiencies”, it said.
According to the report, the most proven methods to improve energy accounting and revenue recovery are accurate customer enumeration and the installation of end-use customer meters.
It said that the commission issued the Order on the operationalisation of Tranche A of the Meter Acquisition Fund ,MAF, in the second quarter of 2024.
“ The Order, which became effective on June 24, 2024, directed DisCos to utilise the first tranche of disbursement from the MAF scheme to procure and install meters for unmetered Band A customers within their franchise areas.
“As of March 2025, DisCos have metered more than 41,000 Band A customers through the MAF scheme.
“In addition to the MAF, DisCos are expected to continue to utilise any of the metering frameworks provided for in the NERC, Meter Asset Programme ,MAP.
“ And the National Mass Metering Programme ,NMMP, metering regulation (2021) to improve end-use customer metering in their franchise areas”, it said.
The report added that these metering initiatives by NERC would reduce commercial and collection losses, thereby improving the flow of funds to upstream market participants in the Nigeria Electricity Supply Industry, NESI.
