In a dimly lit laundry shop in Lagos, Nigeria’s bustling commercial hub, staff at Sparkle Inn Laundry Services wait for the unmistakable rumble of their backup generator. As it roars to life, so do the added business expenses that owner Chidinma Emeneka must cover—a necessary cost to stay open amid Nigeria’s ongoing power crisis.
For over 10 days, millions across the country have endured blackouts due to a major fault in the national power grid. Thirty-six states, more than a third of Nigeria, have been plunged into darkness, affecting countless small businesses and households. Ms. Emeneka’s business, like so many others, has been struggling to keep up, with power cuts pushing up her operational costs and extending service delays.
To continue offering a 72-hour laundry turnaround, Sparkle Inn has relied on generators and an inverter, which come with a high price tag. “We’re spending 35,000 naira ($21; £16) a day on fuel—sometimes double on cloudy days when solar backup isn’t enough,” she told the BBC. For Ms. Emeneka, these costs are crippling, and with no solution in sight, her business faces an uncertain future.
The power issues aren’t new. Nigeria’s national grid, burdened with outdated infrastructure, has repeatedly failed, with officials confirming eight nationwide outages this year alone. Power Minister Adebayo Adelabu points to infrastructure issues: “Our grid is over 50 years old; towers are collapsing, transformers are failing. We’re working on it, but change isn’t immediate.”
The recent grid collapse was reportedly triggered by vandalism on a major transmission line, according to the Transmission Company of Nigeria, but experts argue that deeper investment is needed to resolve Nigeria’s endemic power woes. “The infrastructure upgrades are just too slow,” said analyst Oti Ikomi, warning that the power crisis won’t improve without more consistent investment.
Lagos, with its affluent neighborhoods, has pockets that are still in darkness, and across northern Nigeria, the blackouts have been even more devastating. Frozen food vendors have lost thousands of dollars due to spoiled inventory, while families and small business owners face suffocating heat and rising costs. With fuel prices up over 500% and electricity tariffs hiked by more than 300% for some, many can no longer afford to run generators.
Solar panels and inverters are seen as one solution, but for most, the initial investment is out of reach. As the lights continue to flicker across Nigeria, businesses and citizens are caught between high operating costs and an unreliable grid—a reality that may only change with a much-needed overhaul of the country’s aging power infrastructure.
