Bago Urges Niger Residents To Seek Alternative Power As Grid Supply Worsens

Niger State Governor Mohammed Umar Bago has asked residents and business owners to adopt alternative sources of electricity, saying the state cannot guarantee stable power from the national grid.

Bago spoke during an interactive session with journalists at Government House in Minna on Saturday. He said the state government had already shifted several public institutions away from grid dependence in order to keep services running.

According to the governor, ministries, boards and parastatals, as well as hospitals, schools and Government House, have been moved off the national grid to support uninterrupted supply.

His remarks come after years of complaints from residents who expected stronger intervention by the state government over electricity distribution challenges linked to the Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC).

At the briefing, Bago told citizens to negotiate for other power options where possible if they can no longer cope with recurring outages and repeated explanations from the distribution company.

The governor’s statement has drawn attention because Niger State hosts major hydroelectric assets in Nigeria, including Kainji, Shiroro, Jebba and the newer Zungeru dam. Despite this, residents continue to report unstable electricity for homes and businesses.

Bago indicated that hosting major dams has not automatically translated into direct state control over electricity generation or distribution. That gap, he suggested, limits what the state government can deliver through existing grid structures.

The development is expected to increase pressure on households, small firms and traders to invest in alternatives such as solar, mini-grid arrangements and other private energy solutions to protect daily operations and revenue.

During the same session, the governor also addressed security and humanitarian concerns in the state. He said about 10 local government areas had been severely affected by insecurity, with some communities becoming difficult to access.

He said the state and federal governments were working together to restore normalcy in affected areas. Bago added that insecurity and flooding had affected more than 300,000 people across 10 local government areas.

While appreciating journalists for covering what he described as his administration’s achievements over the past two years, the governor said the scale of displacement and disruption remains a major concern.

His comments on power supply now place fresh focus on the cost of energy alternatives in Niger State and on wider questions about why communities near key national generation assets still face unreliable electricity.