Ayodele Fayose, chairman, Rural Electrification Agency board, has blamed population explosion in Nigeria to perennial lack of electricity.

Mr Fayose, in a viral interview posted by Arise TV, said darkness after 7 p.m. forces Nigerians to sleep early and produce more children.

“If we don’t address the issue of electricity, the people at that level have no attraction. Nothing else matters to them after 7 p.m. Once it gets dark, everybody is engaging their wives. And the population simply becomes double.

“The simple problem is that there is lack of electricity. People go to bed early. Their minds are simply prepared that if this is the only available recreation, let me remain here,” he stated.

Mr Fayose noted that constant electricity supply will enliven nightlife in the country and create more opportunities for Nigerians.

“But when we address this electricity, there would be nightlife. There will be recreation outside your wife,” he added.

Mr Fayose’s statement, which highlights the need to fix the country’s power system, came amid Nigeria’s surging population.

Woldometre population estimates released in April placed Nigeria as Africa’s most populous country, with an estimated population of 242.4 million in 2026.

The figure placed the country ahead of Ethiopia and Egypt, which ranked second and third, respectively.