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Nigeria Tops Global List for Lack of Electricity Access – World Bank Report
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Nigeria has the largest population of citizens without access to electricity globally, with 86.8 million people lacking supply as of 2023, according to the World Bank’s latest energy progress report.
The report, titled “Tracking SDG7: The Energy Progress Report 2025,” was released on Wednesday and assesses progress made toward Sustainable Development Goal 7 (SDG7), which focuses on ensuring access to affordable, reliable, sustainable, and modern energy for all by 2030.
This marks the third consecutive year that Nigeria has ranked as the country with the highest electricity access deficit worldwide. The report also shows that only 61 per cent of Nigeria’s population had access to electricity in 2023, while just 26 per cent had access to clean cooking energy.
“Nigeria (86.8 million), the Democratic Republic of Congo (79.6 million), and Ethiopia (56.4 million) topped the list, together accounting for roughly a third of the entire global access deficit,” the World Bank said.
The report noted that among the 20 countries with the largest electricity access deficits, 18 are located in Sub-Saharan Africa. South Sudan had the lowest national access rate at 5 per cent, followed by Chad and Burundi at 12 per cent.
In sub-Saharan Africa, 35 million people gained access to electricity in 2023.
However, population growth over the same period was estimated at 30 million, resulting in a marginal net reduction in the electricity access gap, from 570 million people in 2022 to 565 million in 2023.
The region now accounts for 85 per cent of the global population without electricity, a significant increase from 50 per cent in 2010.
In contrast, Central and Southern Asia recorded the most progress between 2020 and 2023, reducing their electricity access deficit from 414 million in 2010 to 27 million in 2023.
Looking ahead to 2030, the World Bank report notes that the world has reduced the number of people without electricity access by 665 million since 2010. Twenty-one countries have achieved near-universal access, but challenges remain.
The International Energy Agency (IEA) projects that 645 million people will still be without electricity by 2030 if current policies persist.
The Regional Chairman of Church of Christ in Nations (COCIN), Barkin Ladi Local Government Area of Plateau State, Rev. Ezekiel Dachomo, has denied reports that he prayed for the re-election of President Bola Tinubu and Vice President Kashim Shettima in the 2027 presidential election.
Dachomo, who is currently in Israel on what he described as his first International Christian Advocacy Tour, said his visit was aimed at drawing the attention of world leaders to the plight of Christians in Plateau.
The cleric made the clarification in a social media post on Monday night following reports that he had prayed for the success of the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential ticket and expressed support for the Muslim-Muslim ticket.
Dachomo said his earlier post, in which he prayed for Nigeria, had been misconstrued as an endorsement of Tinubu and Shettima ahead of the 2027 election.
According to him, there was nowhere in the post where he prayed for the President and Vice-President to win the election.
“People are trying to frame me, saying I prayed for a Muslim-Muslim ticket. But I did not, and I will never pray for a Muslim-Muslim ticket because Nigeria belongs to both Muslims and Christians,” he said.
Dachomo said his prayers were for the well-being and success of Nigeria and its citizens, irrespective of their religious affiliations.
“I pray for both Muslims and Christians in Nigeria. I pray for Nigeria to succeed. If you truly want to come to God, come with a clean heart,” he added.
The cleric further stated, “I did not pray for President Tinubu and Vice President Shettima to win in 2027. My prayers have always been for Nigeria to succeed.”
Dachomo’s clarification came amid reactions to his ongoing advocacy tour in Israel, where he is seeking international attention to security challenges and what he described as the persecution of Christians in Plateau.
Ahead of the 2027 election, the House of Representatives Committee on Electoral Matters has urged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to disqualify candidates whose names are not contained in political party registers, as stipulated by the Electoral Act 2026.
In a statement on Tuesday, the Chairman of the committee, Bayo Balogun, drew the commission’s attention to a Supreme Court ruling on Sections 77(5), 77(6) and 77(7) and called for their full enforcement across all political parties.
Balogun, a member of the All Progressives Congress, APC, said that pending legal proceedings concerning the interpretation, constitutionality and enforceability of the sections had been resolved by virtue of the Supreme Court judgment.
The lawmaker recalled that the Supreme Court, on September 24, 2026, restored the provisions after setting aside the Court of Appeal judgment that had declared them unconstitutional.
According to him, the apex court held that the provisions were not inconsistent with the 1999 Constitution.
Balogun explained that Section 77(5) provides that only members whose names are contained in the membership register submitted to INEC are eligible to vote or be voted for at party primaries, congresses and conventions.
He said that Section 77(6) requires political parties to use the register submitted to the electoral umpire for such exercises.
Balogun urged INEC to proceed without further delay to enforce Sections 77(4) to 77(6) in the administration and monitoring of political parties and their electoral activities.
He further urged the commission to audit the membership registers and candidates submitted by political parties to establish whether the names of the candidates are contained in the registers earlier submitted to INEC in compliance with Section 77(5).
“This will be a litmus test for the commission – any culpable political party and candidates should be disqualified.
“Diligent enforcement of the provision would help prevent disputes and reduce the volume of litigation that could arise from alleged irregularities or non-compliance with Sections 77(4) to 77(6) of the Electoral Act,” Balogun said.
An helicopter crashed into a swamp near Naval Base in Igbokoda, the headquarters of Ilaje Local Government Area of Ondo State, on Monday.
The incident occurred at about 11.00a.m during heavy down pour, throwing the coastal community into panic.
The number of people on board of the helicopter was yet to be officially confirmed, while the condition of possible survivors cannot be confirmed.
Confirming the incident, Maurice Oripenaiye, the Chairman of the local government, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in a telephone interview that he could not ascertain the number of the victims.
Oripenaye also said he was yet to ascertain the identity of the crashed helicopter and the passengers.
“It happened during the heavy rainfall at about 11.00a.m. I cannot confirm the number of the people on board. I have deployed some youths to the area for rescue purpose,” he told NAN.
Similarly, the Police Command in Ondo State while confirming the crash, said details surrounding the incident were still emerging.
The command in a statement by its spokesperson, Abayomi Jimoh, a deputy superintendent of police, in Akure, said efforts were ongoing to establish the full circumstances surrounding the crash.
“The command urges members of the public, particularly residents of Igbokoda and adjoining communities, to remain calm and refrain from circulating unverified information.
“The public will be duly informed as soon as further credible information becomes available,” it stated.
(NAN)
