THE Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, has said that approximately 150 million Nigerians now have access to electricity.
Adelabu made this known on Thursday, April 17, during the 2025 Ministerial Sectoral Update Conference held in Abuja, where he spoke alongside the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Malagi, and other key stakeholders.
“As it is today, Nigeria—a country with about 240 million people—has access for 150 million people already, while about 80 million lack access to adequate electricity in Nigeria.
“The real challenge lies in the stability and affordability of electricity. That’s how we measure reliability. We must ensure that those who have access enjoy consistent and affordable power,” he said.
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The claim went viral online with many wondering over the accuracy of the claim due to challenge with access to electricity in Nigeria. This prompted The FactCheckHub to examine the claim.
CLAIM
150 million Nigerians have access to electricity.
THE FINDINGS
Findings by The FactCheckHub show that the claim is TRUE.
According to the Electricity 2025 report by the International Energy Agency (IEA), Nigeria’s electricity access has grown significantly in recent years, reaching approximately 70 per cent of the population by the end of 2023. With the country’s population estimated at 230 million then, this implies that about 161 million Nigerians have access to electricity.
“An estimated 70 per cent of Nigerians had access to electricity in 2023, up from 50 per cent a decade ago…Electricity demand declined by around 6 per cent in 2024, but we forecast that it will increase on average by more than 5 per annually between 2025 and 2027,” the report stated.
The report highlights key dynamics that are reshaping the country’s power landscape, including persistent gas supply challenges and the rising contribution of renewables. It also outlines how new policies and infrastructure investments are influencing electricity generation, distribution, and access across the country.
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Similarly, the Energy Progress Report, which tracks progress on the Sustainable Development Goal 7 (SDG7), indicates that 61 per cent of Nigeria’s 218 million people had electricity access as of 2022, amounting to about 133 million people. Additionally, World Bank data for 2023 shows that 61 per cent of 227.9 million Nigerians around 139 million people had access to electricity.
These estimates show a consistent upward trend in electrification across the country, driven by policy reforms, infrastructure expansion, and increased deployment of off-grid renewable solutions such as solar photovoltaic (PV) systems, particularly in rural areas.
VERDICT
The claim by the Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, that 150 million Nigerians now have access to electricity is TRUE, based on corroborating data from the IEA’s Electricity 2025 report, the World Bank, and the Energy Progress Report. Though estimates vary slightly, they all support the minister’s claim as being within a plausible range.
Nurudeen Akewushola is a fact-checker with FactCheckHub. He has authored several fact checks which have contributed to the fight against information disorder. You can reach him via nyahaya@icirnigeria.org and @NurudeenAkewus1 via Twitter.
