Media mogul and former lawmaker, Ben Murray-Bruce, has called on President Bola Tinubu to abandon Nigeria’s 2013 electricity privatisation model, describing it as “a monumental catastrophe.”
In an open letter to the President released on Friday, August 29, 2026, Murray-Bruce urged the Federal Government to decentralise electricity generation and allow communities, estates and states to take greater responsibility for power supply.
The former Bayelsa lawmaker said the current electricity system had failed Nigerians, citing recent data from the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC).
According to him, Nigeria had 13,625 megawatts of installed generation capacity as of April 2026, but only 4,286 megawatts was available for dispatch – representing just 31 per cent of installed capacity.
Murray-Bruce also pointed to the national grid collapse of Saturday, August 22, when electricity generation reportedly fell from more than 4,000MW earlier in the day to 1,132MW at about 8:30pm.
He noted that 12 power stations, including Egbin, Geregu, Kainji, Shiroro and Zungeru, were producing no power during the incident.
“That is not an industry, Your Excellency. That is a rumour of an industry,” he said.
Why Murray-Bruce Wants the Privatisation Model Abandoned
Murray-Bruce blamed the 2013 privatisation for transferring electricity assets to investors who, according to him, had sufficient funds to purchase the assets but lacked the financial capacity to operate them effectively.
He argued that distribution companies serving a country of about 240 million people require balance sheets running into billions of dollars.
He contrasted the situation with the former Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN), which he said did not leave the country with the level of debt currently associated with the sector.
According to him, private operators have accumulated more than ₦7 trillion in GenCo debts, while the Tinubu administration also approved a ₦4 trillion bond to address liabilities in the sector.
“Roughly ₦10 trillion of public money has gone into this sector in thirteen years and the lights are still off,” Murray-Bruce said.
DisCos Face More Criticism
The former lawmaker also criticised electricity Distribution Companies (DisCos), accusing them of collecting significant revenues despite inadequate service and poor metering.
He said that as of February 2026, 5.1 million out of Nigeria’s 12.31 million active electricity customers remained unmetered, representing about 41 per cent.
He cited metering figures for several DisCos, including Yola at 31.86 per cent, Jos at 34.04 per cent, Kano at 35.37 per cent and Ibadan, where nearly half of its 2.48 million customers remained unmetered.
Murray-Bruce further said DisCos collected ₦801.16 billion between January and April.
“A meter is a machine that tells the truth. An estimated bill is a machine that does not,” he said, arguing that Nigerians were being billed despite the unreliable supply of electricity.
His Alternative: Decentralised Power
Murray-Bruce proposed greater use of the decentralised electricity framework enabled by the Electricity Act 2023, which moved electricity to the Concurrent List.
He suggested that communities such as Dolphin Estate in Lagos could borrow about ₦3 billion, backed by state guarantees, to establish metered solar power systems and sell electricity at cost plus a 25 per cent margin.
He also proposed that state governments use solar power to operate streetlights, primary healthcare centres and schools, while the Federal Government concentrates on federal roads, hospitals and universities.
Murray-Bruce argued that the money needed for such investments already exists, pointing to estimates that unreliable electricity costs Nigeria about $26 billion annually, while Nigerians spend about $12 billion each year on generators.
“We are already paying for power. We are simply paying for the most expensive, dirtiest and least reliable version of it,” he said.
Aba Offers an Example
Murray-Bruce cited Aba in Abia State as an example of what decentralised electricity generation could achieve.
He said Geometric Power’s 188MW plant continued supplying electricity to about 900,000 people during the January 23, 2026 national grid collapse.
“One city solved it. Not with a policy paper. With a plant and a meter,” he stated.
He urged Nigerians to hold their governors and local councils accountable, arguing that electricity is now a concurrent responsibility under the current legal framework.
Murray-Bruce also noted that the Federal Government paid only ₦77 billion out of ₦1.859 trillion in subsidy invoices between April 2025 and April 2026.
He concluded by challenging the Tinubu administration to embrace decentralised electricity generation, saying the approach could significantly improve power supply across the country within four years.
“Do this, and I will say it publicly and plainly: within four years, seventy per cent of Nigeria will have power,” he said.
