For decades, Nigeria has wrestled with a challenge that has outlived governments, policies and generations. How can it provide reliable electricity and clean water to millions of people. While today’s conversation centres on grid reforms, renewable energy and smart metering, a forgotten proposal from the 1950s reveals that the country has long viewed electricity and water as twin pillars of national development.

This week, the Federal Government unveiled another ambitious roadmap for the electricity sector. The Minister of Power, Joseph Tegbe, announced reforms designed to improve electricity supply, strengthen transmission infrastructure, attract private investment and expand access to power across the country. The plan builds on the Electricity Act 2023 and introduces initiatives ranging from nationwide prepaid metering to the expansion of solar-powered universities and hospitals.

The announcement represents another chapter in a story that began long before Nigeria’s independence.

Power and Water Supply in Nigeria Before Independence

In the 1950s, development planners were already searching for ways to electrify communities while solving another pressing problem, access to clean water.

One proposal suggested constructing a temporary dual-purpose plant capable of generating electricity while simultaneously pumping water to surrounding communities. The concept appeared ingenious for its time; a single facility serving two essential public utilities.

The proposal reflected the optimism of the era. Engineers believed carefully designed technology could rapidly modernise regions that lacked both electricity and piped water. The expectation was that these installations would stimulate economic development before eventually giving way to more permanent infrastructure.

Yet engineering realities told a different story.

Although technically possible, the proposal would have required larger generators capable of handling the additional demand created by water pumps. Every conversion, from fuel to mechanical energy, then electricity, and finally back to mechanical energy for pumping, introduced efficiency losses.

Rather than representing a long-term model for development, the dual-purpose system was better suited as a temporary emergency solution. Large centralised power stations and separate water supply systems ultimately proved more economical, easier to maintain and capable of serving larger populations.

History largely validated that conclusion. Countries that successfully expanded electricity access generally invested in national grids while developing water infrastructure as parallel utilities rather than combining both functions into temporary hybrid plants.

More than seventy years later, Nigeria’s priorities remain strikingly familiar.

Instead of experimental dual-purpose generators, today’s reforms focus on building a stronger electricity market supported by modern infrastructure.

According to the Minister of Power, the government’s “Resetting the Sector” initiative seeks to resolve technical, commercial and governance challenges that have limited electricity delivery despite increases in generation capacity.

Among the priorities are the installation of seven million prepaid meters over three years, expansion of transmission infrastructure, harmonisation of federal and state electricity regulations, nationwide technical audits of the grid and the development of a future super grid capable of transmitting up to 30,000 megawatts.

The government also plans to expand renewable energy through solar-powered universities and teaching hospitals while increasing solar’s contribution to Nigeria’s electricity mix over the coming decades.