Lagos State Deputy Governor, Obafemi Hamzat, is not smiling, and honestly, who would be if your electricity bill jumped from N2.7 million in March to a jaw-dropping N29 million in April? Speaking at a roundtable event with the Rural Electrification Agency (REA) on Victoria Island, Hamzat didn’t hold back. He shared his experience with Nigeria’s frustrating electricity billing system, calling it “crazy” and lamenting how hard it is to even switch to a prepaid meter, despite having already bought one.
“People are just trying to survive, and the common thing they need is power, but they don’t have it,” he said. “Last month, the bill was N2.7M. This month? N29M. I sent it to the Commissioner for Energy because I couldn’t believe it.” But his case isn’t isolated. He also shared a troubling story from Coker Aguda in Surulere, where a resident got hit with an N2.8 million electricity bill, more than the man’s yearly rent of N2 million.
The event wasn’t just about venting, though. It also featured the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Lagos State and the REA to bring stable electricity — especially solar-powered electricity to underserved rural communities in the state.
Lagos Commissioner for Energy, Biodun Ogunleye, called the partnership a game-changer. “This move is going to create opportunities for people who never thought they’d live in a place with constant electricity,” he said. “REA has been to other states, but let’s be real, if you haven’t come to Lagos, you haven’t arrived yet.” For a city like Lagos, where hustle meets ambition, power cuts and outrageous bills shouldn’t be the norm. The people deserve better, and from the sound of it, the government might just be ready to do something about it.
