₦285,000 every month for petrol: di generator trap wey Lagos no fit escape
Lagos dey run on generator. Di numbers dey shock: 4.5 million generator across di city, dey burn estimated ₦14 trillion fuel every year. Dat one no be problem for di system — for most Lagosian, na dat one be di system. National grid dey give 4,000 to 5,000 megawatts to country of 220 million people. Lagos alone need 10,000 megawatts. Di calculation no work, and generator dey fill di gap.
Di economics don worse for 2026. Petrol don cross ₦1,320 per litre for NNPC station for late April after Dangote Refinery raise gantry price by ₦75, as crude oil pass $115 per barrel. Independent station don already dey ₦1,365–₦1,370. Standard 2.5kVA generator wey run six hours per day — di minimum for Lagos household — now cost about ₦285,000 per month just fuel alone. Dat one no include maintenance, engine oil, or di replacement cost wey go eventually come.
Band A tariff wahala dey real. NERC put ₦209.50 per kWh wey suppose remove subsidy for area wey get better light. For di 15% of customer wey dey Band A feeder — mostly Ikoyi, V.I., parts of Lekki and Ikeja GRA — 20+ hours grid power for ₦73,000 per month cheap well well pass generator. But Band B to E customer still dey pay ₦34–₦56 per kWh while dem only get 4–16 hours light per day, so generator still necessary no matter wetin.
Solar na di way out. 3.5kVA system cost ₦1.2–₦1.8 million installed. For current generator cost, e go pay back within 30 months then run free for 15–20 years. Di barrier no be economics — di numbers clear — na capital. Di household wey dey spend ₦285,000 every month for petrol, many no fit access ₦1.5 million upfront. Until financing catch up, di generator trap go continue.