Powering Nigeria

Documentaries

According to the World Bank, more than 80 million people in Nigeria still lack access to electricity, making it the country with the largest energy access deficit in the world. But even among those connected to the grid, many struggle daily to keep the power going. Blackouts are frequent, infrastructure is fragile, and generators have become a lifeline for homes and businesses alike. Journalist and presenter Samuel Okocha hears from Nigerians about how unreliable electricity affects their lives. He speaks to economists, politicians, and renewable energy experts to understand the roots of the crisis, and how decentralisation and power theft are complicating efforts to fix it. In Abuja, Samuel visits his local dry cleaner and barber to see how they are coping with constant outages. Samuel also finds resilience. Across Nigeria, people are turning to solar energy and small-scale solutions, building their own systems to meet their needs.