Professor Anthony Adoghe, a distinguished scholar in the Department of Electrical and Information Engineering at Covenant University, Ota, has strongly criticized the inefficiencies plaguing Nigeria’s power sector.
Delivering the University’s 33rd Inaugural Lecture on April 25, 2025, at the Covenant University Chapel, Professor Adoghe highlighted the country’s chronic electricity outages, attributing them largely to significant losses in power generation and distribution even before reaching end users.
In his lecture titled “Transforming Nigeria’s Power Transmission Landscape: A Call for Strategic Overhaul,” Professor Adoghe revealed that Nigeria experiences one of the highest losses in power transmission globally. Citing comparative data, he noted that while Germany records only a 4.5% loss from generation to distribution, Nigeria loses up to 28.1% - placing it among the worst-performing countries in this regard.
According to his research, Nigeria is only ahead of Cameroon and Togo on the continent in terms of transmission efficiency. Even neighboring countries like Benin Republic and Kenya outperform Nigeria in this area, despite Nigeria’s status as the so-called ‘Giant of Africa.’
Professor Adoghe called for a comprehensive reappraisal of the entire energy sector. He urged stakeholders to rethink the current framework of power generation, transmission, and distribution to deliver reliable electricity to all parts of the Country. He emphasized that despite Nigeria’s abundant natural energy resources—ranging from crude oil and hydro power to solar, wind, nuclear, and bioenergy—the country remains severely underpowered. His findings indicate that actual energy consumption is more than 80% below expected levels based on the country’s population and economic profile.
A key focus of Professor Adoghe’s research is the state of Nigeria’s transformer infrastructure, which he identified as a major contributor to the power sector’s inefficiency. He recommended the adoption of the Markov Maintenance Model, a predictive maintenance framework that incorporates insulation deterioration and various transformer maintenance states. This model, he explained, can help forecast the average time before transformer failure, thereby improving reliability and reducing power losses.
In his remarks, the Vice-Chancellor of Covenant University, Professor Timothy Anake, described the lecture as a timely call to action. He emphasized that addressing Nigeria’s power challenges aligns with the University’s broader vision under the Vision 7:2030 initiative, spearheaded by the Chancellor, Dr. David O. Oyedepo. This initiative aims to generate solutions rather than merely discuss Africa’s problems.
“As a faith-based, mission-driven institution,” Anake noted, “we are committed to fostering innovation and excellence that shapes destinies and advances societies.”
He commended Professor Adoghe for his scholarly contribution and exemplary delivery, stating, “May your work continue to illuminate lives and influence energy policy across Nigeria, Africa, and the world.”
Representing the Chancellor, Dr. David Oyedepo, at the event, Pastor Adeniyi Beecroft echoed concerns over Nigeria’s dismal performance in energy distribution. He emphasized that much of the energy loss occurs before it even reaches consumers, describing the situation as unacceptable. He called for a decentralized power system, where local communities play a more active role in power generation and distribution.
Pastor Beecroft cited the Covenant University campus, Faith Tabernacle, Faith Academy, and Canaan City as examples of effective localized power management, where electricity supply has been stable since 1998. He urged communities to protect electrical infrastructure from vandalism, including the theft of cables and transformers, to help mitigate power distribution challenges.