How lack of electricity increases Nigeria’s population – Ayo Fayose

Former Ekiti State Governor and newly inaugurated Rural Electrification Agency (REA) governing board chairman, Ayodele Fayose, has offered an unusual explanation for Nigeria’s population growth, linking it to the country’s persistent electricity problems.

Fayose made the comment on Friday in Abuja while formally assuming his new role at the REA, following his appointment by President Bola Tinubu as part of a wider round of federal government appointments announced in July.

Speaking about the urgent need to expand electricity access, Fayose argued that unreliable power does more than cripple businesses and limit productivity—it also changes how Nigerians spend their evenings.

According to him, communities that plunge into darkness early have few alternatives once night falls, leaving many residents to retreat home and go to bed earlier than they otherwise might.

He joked that the absence of nightlife could even have an unexpected effect on population figures.

“When you don’t address the issue of electricity, by 7 o’clock it gets dark, and people start engaging with their wives, so the population doubles.”

Fayose continued by arguing that the problem was partly about the absence of alternatives for people after dark.

“The simple problem is that, because there is no electricity, people go to bed early. Their minds are already prepared for it. If this is the only option available, they simply stay at home,”

He said better electricity supply would change the situation by keeping communities active beyond sunset.

“But if we address the electricity problem, there will be nightlife.”

Fayose’s new electricity mandate

The former governor’s remarks came as he began work in an agency tasked with expanding electricity access across Nigeria, particularly in areas that remain poorly served by the national grid.

The Rural Electrification Agency plays a central role in efforts to provide electricity to underserved and unserved communities through grid expansion and off-grid solutions.

Fayose’s argument, though delivered with humour, points to a broader reality: electricity availability affects far more than whether homes have lights.

Reliable power can determine when businesses operate, whether communities remain active after sunset, how safely people move around at night and the extent to which entertainment and social activities can thrive.

For Fayose, however, the message came with an unmistakable punchline: solve Nigeria’s electricity crisis, and Nigerians may simply have more reasons to stay awake.