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.

Environmental activists and climate change advocates seized the opportunity of a webinar hosted by Unity Bank to call for urgent and coordinated action to tackle Nigeria’s growing plastic pollution crisis, describing it as one of the greatest environmental threats facing the country today.

The call was made at the event marking this year’s World Environment Day facilitated by Unity Bank’s Sustainability Team to fashion out innovative strategies to curb plastic pollution in Nigeria in line with this year’s global theme: “Ending Plastic Pollution.”

In his remarks, Mr. Usman Abdulkadir, Executive Director, Risk Management, Unity Bank Plc, reaffirmed the Bank’s commitment to sustainability, adding that issues like plastic pollution carry deep risk implications for businesses and communities.

“Environmental degradation is increasingly a business risk, not just a corporate social concern,” Mr. Abdulkadir stated. “We must all begin to view environmental stewardship as a duty that cuts across sectors – finance, government, industry, and civil society. Unity Bank remains committed to integrating ESG principles into its risk frameworks and sustainability agenda.”

Guest speakers included leading waste management entrepreneurs and environmental activists such as Sunday Kolawole Sholanke, Co-founder/CEO of PETsPoint Recycling Nigeria, and Omoh Alokwe, Co-founder/CEO of Street Waste Company Limited.

Speaking at the Webinar, Mr. Sholanke decried the alarming volume of plastic waste in Nigeria, putting estimates on the country’s waste generation to about 596 million metric tonnes annually, with 88% of it neither reclaimed nor recycled.

“Nigeria ranks as the 9th highest contributor to global plastic pollution. Much of Nigeria’s plastic waste ends up in landfills, drainage systems, and water bodies, causing extensive environmental damage and posing serious health risks,” he explained.

He also shared startling global statistics: “Over one million plastic bottles and 10 million plastic bags are produced every minute. In 2020 alone, eight million tons of plastic bottles were produced globally, with less than 30% collected and under 10% recycled. The rest is dumped, burned, or abandoned in the environment, worsening risks of flooding, climate disruption, and disease.”

He identified poor waste management culture, low public awareness, and lack of community collection infrastructure as major factors aggravating the Nigeria’s plastic waste crisis.

Calling on the financial services sector to be more proactive, Sholanke urged Banks to invest in green financing by increasing access to affordable credit for green businesses and eco-friendly initiatives.

Also speaking, Omoh Alokwe emphasized the role of regulators in strengthening enforcement and updating policy frameworks to reduce harmful practices that fuel the global plastic crisis.

Also speaking in the same vain, Mr. Ibukun Coker, Head of Strategy and Innovation at Unity Bank Plc emphasized the Bank’s commitment to sustainable practices and environmental protection, highlighting the role of the financial sector in driving meaningful change.

“Plastic pollution is not just an environmental issue, it is an economic and public health crisis,” said Mr. Coker.

“At Unity Bank, we believe that sustainability should be more than a policy; it must be embedded in how we operate, the projects we finance, and the partnerships we build.”

The webinar offered a platform for robust dialogue around sustainable actions and innovative solutions that can mitigate the escalating threat of plastic pollution and promote environmental protection.

Unity Bank has consistently championed environmental causes, including its annual Earth Day partnerships with non-profits such as RESWAYE to clean the Royal Beach in Elegushi, Lagos, part of its mission to protect marine ecosystems. In its most recent Earth Day campaign, the Bank challenged every staff member across 32 states to plant a tree in their locality, driving a grassroots reforestation movement and reinforcing environmental awareness.

The Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, has announced the arrest of 28 persons suspected to be masterminds of the killings in Yelwata, Benue State.

Addressing a news conference in Abuja on Tuesday, the IGP said the police are on the heels of other suspects who participated in the Yelwata killings that led to the death of 47 persons.

He assured Nigerians that the police are not overwhelmed as they are mopping up light and small weapons illegally acquired by some persons.

Egbetokun added that the police is also intensifying its border patrols in order to curtail the influx of irregular migrants into the country.

The IGP added that the arrested suspects will be arraigned in court soon including the 22 suspects who were arrested in Jos over the gruesome murder of nine persons travelling to Quanpan for a wedding.

The IGP clarified that out of the 28 arrested persons, 2 have been cleared as they were only used as bait to arrest the 26 suspected masterminds.

On Sunday, the joint security services in Benue State announced the arrest of suspects linked to the Yelwata attack.

The Commissioner of Police in Benue State, Emenari Ifeanyi, who made the announcement at a press briefing didn’t disclose the identity of the suspects.

The reported arrests followed President Bola Tinubu’s Wednesday order that service chiefs and the Inspector General of Police (IGP) arrest those behind the dastardly attack.

“Police, I hope your men are on alert to listen to information. How come no arrest has been made? I expect there should be an arrest of those criminals,” Tinubu had charged the IGP during his visit to Benue last Wednesday.

“Christopher (the Chief of Defence Staff), you have given much. I watch your comments, you can’t be tired of staying in the bush. Oloyede and the Air Marshal, we thank all of you, but we need to keep our ears to the ground, let’s get those criminals, let’s get them out. DG NIA, DG SSS, retool your information channels and let’s have tangible intelligence so that this will not occur again.”

Gunmen, suspected to be herders, had last week attacked the Yelwata community in the Guma Local Government Area of the food-producing state, leaving many dead and thousands of others displaced.