Nigeria Ranks Second Globally in Electricity Poverty, Says REA Boss

Nigeria has been ranked as the second country in the world with the largest population without electricity access, according to Abba Aliyu, Managing Director and CEO of the Rural Electrification Agency (REA).

Speaking on Channels Television’s Morning Brief on Monday, Aliyu noted that only India surpasses Nigeria in terms of citizens living without power.

Aliyu explained that while the statistic is alarming, the current administration has adopted a structured and systematic approach to tackling what he called “electrical poverty.”

“I recently came across a post by The Economist which showed that only India has more people without electricity access than Nigeria. But unlike many other countries, Nigeria now has a well-structured plan to address this challenge,” he said.

The REA, he clarified, focuses on off-grid and underserved communities, not issues tied to electricity distribution companies (Discos).

Aliyu highlighted the Distributed Access to Renewable Energy Scale (DARES) program as one of the agency’s flagship initiatives.

• The $750 million project is billed as the world’s largest public renewable energy initiative.

• It aims to deliver reliable electricity to 17.5 million Nigerians currently without access.

He stressed that renewable energy, not just grid expansion, is central to Nigeria’s strategy for tackling energy poverty and supporting rural development.