Deji Adeyanju Says Nigerians Don’t Expect 24-Hour Power, Sparks Debate on Electricity Realities

Nigerian activist and lawyer Deji Adeyanju has triggered widespread discussion online after commenting on what he believes Nigerians actually expect from the country’s electricity supply.

Speaking on the Honest Bunch Podcast, Adeyanju argued that most citizens are not demanding constant 24-hour electricity, but rather reliable power during key parts of the day.

According to him, many Nigerians simply want electricity when they return home at night and when they wake up in the morning.

“Nigerians don’t even want 24-hour light, can they even afford 24-hour light,” he said.

He explained further: “Nigerians just want to meet light when they get home at 8 p.m. so they don’t sweat while they sleep, and they want light by 7 a.m. so they can iron their clothes. After that, you can take the light and give it to industries.”

Adeyanju insisted that Nigerians are not overly demanding when it comes to basic infrastructure and described their expectations as reasonable and easy to meet.

“Nigerians are the easiest people to please and don’t ask for much,” he added.

His comments have since sparked mixed reactions across social media, with some agreeing that expectations are modest, while others argued that citizens deserve far more than intermittent electricity supply.

Opinion: Low Expectations or a System That Normalizes Less?

The statement by Deji Adeyanju raises an uncomfortable but important question about how long-term infrastructure failure can reshape public expectations.

On one hand, his argument reflects a harsh reality: many Nigerians have adapted their lives around inconsistent power supply, adjusting daily routines instead of expecting reliability. In that sense, his comments capture lived experience.

However, there is another side to the conversation. What appears as “modest expectations” may actually be the result of prolonged underperformance. When a system consistently delivers less, people naturally begin to ask for even less just to cope.

Electricity is not a luxury—it is a foundation for education, business, healthcare, and daily comfort. So while prioritizing certain hours of supply may sound reasonable, it also reflects a deeper issue: normalization of scarcity.

Ultimately, the debate is not just about what Nigerians expect, but what they should reasonably be able to demand in a functioning modern economy.