JUST IN: Utomi decries Nigeria’s power crisis, rising business costs ahead of 2027 elections

News, Politics

LAGOS, Nigeria (NPA) — Professor Pat Utomi, a political economist, management expert, entrepreneur and public intellectual, has criticised Nigeria’s poor electricity supply and rising business costs, blaming the administration of President Bola Tinubu for worsening economic hardship.

Utomi made his position known in a statement on Tuesday, October 27, 2026, in which he contrasted Nigeria’s recurring power grid collapses with the electricity supply in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

He said Nigeria’s latest grid collapse, which he claimed left less than 900 megawatts of electricity available to a population of about 250 million people, highlighted the country’s persistent infrastructure challenges.

Advertisement

Utomi also criticised spokespersons for the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential campaign council for dismissing expectations that Nigeria should achieve electricity supply comparable to that of Ethiopia.

“The Nigerian condition forces us to struggle so often to make sense of nonsense,” he said, describing the contrast between Addis Ababa’s brightly lit high-rise buildings and Nigeria’s electricity challenges as evidence of deeper governance problems.

He argued that poverty and political patronage had undermined public discourse, alleging that some educated Nigerians defended the government in exchange for political benefits.

Utomi also announced the unveiling of a group of rapid-response spokespersons for candidates backed by the Big Tent political platform.

According to him, the team comprises Comrade Tony Akeni, Magnus Oraka, David Adenekan, who coordinates the Big Tent Diaspora, and Nasser Sidi Ali.

He said the spokespersons would respond to statements by political opponents and verify claims they considered misleading.

Utomi urged the team to respond forcefully but maintain integrity in its engagements.

In a separate statement, the political economist also raised concerns about the rising cost of doing business in Nigeria, particularly the impact of petrol prices on business owners.

“I know many business owners who have had to shut down because they can no longer keep up with the rising cost of petrol in Nigeria. The APC government is making life increasingly difficult for Nigerians. Idris is right,” he said.

Utomi’s comments come amid growing political activity ahead of Nigeria’s 2027 general elections, when voters are expected to elect a president, members of the National Assembly, state governors and members of state assemblies.