Obi Says Nigeria Will Hit 10,000MW Under His Presidency

Peter Obi, former governor of Anambra State and presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), has said Nigeria’s electricity generation capacity would rise to at least 10,000 megawatts within four years if he is elected president.

Obi made the pledge on Saturday after emerging as the NDC’s presidential candidate at the party’s national convention in Abuja, where his candidacy was formally ratified ahead of the 2027 elections.

In his acceptance speech, Obi described Nigeria’s current power situation as unacceptable, noting that a country of over 200 million people still struggles with extremely low electricity generation.

He said Nigeria generates about 4,000 megawatts of electricity despite having one of the largest populations in Africa, adding that millions of citizens remain without access to power.

Obi argued that countries such as South Africa and Egypt, which have significantly smaller populations, generate far higher levels of electricity, saying the comparison reflects the depth of Nigeria’s infrastructure deficit.

He pledged that his administration would prioritise expanding power generation and distribution to reach at least 10,000 megawatts within a four-year period if elected.

“It is totally unacceptable. Today, Nigeria is a country with the highest number of citizens without access to electricity in the whole world. About 100 million Nigerians don’t have access to electricity,” Obi said.

“In today’s world, it is unacceptable. A country of over 200 million people only generates and distributes 4,000 (megawatts)

“The biggest economies in Africa, South Africa and Egypt, generate over 40,000 megawatts today.

“So we are not even producing 10% of what these two African nations are producing and distributing. Both of them are less than 50% of our population and they generate 10 times the electricity we generate. These are African countries.

“It is unacceptable. It cannot happen. And I pledge on behalf of our government that in four years, this country will generate and distribute at least 10,000 megawatts from the 4,000 they are doing today,” he added. 

Obi also questioned official unemployment figures released by the National Bureau of Statistics, saying they do not reflect the economic realities faced by many Nigerians.

He said his proposed government would focus on job creation through support for small businesses and targeted economic incentives.

Recent government data indicated that Nigeria’s electricity generation improved slightly in early 2026, rising from about 3,951 megawatts in late March to over 4,300 megawatts in April.