ACCESS TO ELECTRICITY IN SULEJA LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA OF NIGER STATE, NIGERIA

Abstract

The duration, legality, and reliability of electricity supply constitute one of the biggest challenges that residents of Suleja LGA have to contend with. These electricity access indicators manifest themselves in limited hours of electricity supply, estimated billing, and abrupt interruption of electricity daily. The electricity challenges encountered threaten the actualisation of the Sustainable Development Goal 7 across the LGA. This study assesses access to grid electricity in Suleja LGA. In carrying out this assessment, the indicators of grid electricity access by employing the Multi-tier energy framework to measure access to grid electricity and the performance of SDG 7 in Suleja LGA was examined. Using data collected from 149 households in Suleja LGA, household socio-economic characteristics were used to evaluate the household determinant of electricity access. The study reveals that acute duration and reliability of electricity access were recorded in Suleja LGA with indexes of 0.26 and 0.17, respectively. Aggregate grid electricity access of 0.61, which implies fair electricity access, was also recorded in Suleja LGA. The study further shows that the income of the household head is the only significant predictor (<.001) of the level of grid electricity access, while other factors do not significantly influence the level of grid electricity access 9 > 0.05. This study thus recommends improving the duration and reliability of grid electricity supplied by the Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC). The study further recommends that the good indexes recorded for affordability, health/safety, and quality of electricity supply should be sustained by the AEDC.