- New NBS survey data ranked all six geopolitical zones in Nigeria by the share of households with electricity access
- South East led with 74.6% access while North East recorded the lowest figure at just 29.5%
- The data sparked debate online over what electricity access actually means for Nigerian households
Legit.ng journalist Adekunle Dada has over 8 years of experience covering metro, government policy, and international issues
New figures from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) show that the South East records the highest share of households with electricity access in Nigeria, while the North East sits at the bottom of the ranking by a wide margin.
The data were drawn from the NBS General Household Survey Panel Wave 5 covering 2023 and 2024.
Source: Getty Images
It was published on Saturday, August 15, 2026, by statistics platform StatiSense on X @Statisense.
The post has since attracted over 34,700 views and sparked debate about what electricity access means in practice across different parts of the country.
Electricity access by zone
According to the survey, 74.6% of households in the South East have access to electricity, making it the best-performing zone in the country.
The South West follows at 71.7%, with the South South at 65.7%. The three northern zones trail significantly, with North Central at 46.8%, North West at 32.1%, and North East at just 29.5%.
The gap between the highest and lowest zones is 45.1 percentage points, a difference that reflects long-standing infrastructure disparities between Nigeria’s north and south.
Nigerians to electricity access
Reactions to the figures raised questions about methodology and on-the-ground reality. @Pelham042 wrote: “Access doesn’t mean they do; that probably only means they have the infrastructure to receive power. Unfortunately, that’s not our reality.”
@phillipsoduaran challenged the South East figure directly, asking:
“What do you mean SE is 74.6%? How many megawatts did they allocate to Enugu Disco?”
Others offered geographical explanations for the South South’s lower ranking. @HopDeliz wrote:
“South South can be understood, most of our Niger Delta lands are creeks and swamps that’s difficult for the national grid to access due to very huge construction cost.”
@ogunseye_tosin questioned whether landmass was skewing comparisons, noting:
“What is the landmass of South East compared to the other regions? NE might be 4 times the size of SE if not more.”
@emproree raised concerns about how population distribution affects the South East figure, arguing that a large share of South East residents live outside the region for business, leaving fewer households to count.
@CallMeJossy noted with surprise:
“You mean the only place that had a civil war fought in their soil since the inception of Nigeria has better electricity access than everyone else?”
One commenter pointed to the South East’s standing as an investment signal, with @Ebeneze49169996 writing:
“Considering cost recovery, South East is actually among the best regions to consider for investments relating to power generation and distribution. People there don’t believe in the palliative economy. They are more likely to pay for their consumption.”
FG makes decision on electricity tariff increase
Meanwhile, Legit.ng reported that the federal government dismissed media reports of an impending electricity tariff hike, saying no increase is planned for any service band.
Presidential adviser Sadiq Wanka said his comments at a Lagos policy event were taken out of context by some media outlets.
The government pointed to the Power Consumer Assistance Fund as its tool for delivering targeted electricity support to vulnerable households.
Source: Legit.ng