Assessment of Electricity Access Among Urban Households in Makurdi, Benue State, Nigeria

This study assesses electricity access among urban households in Makurdi, Benue State, with particular attention to disparities in supply, reliability, metering, and their implications for livelihood diversification. A descriptive cross-sectional survey design was employed, using a structured questionnaire administered to 400 sampled households selected through a multi-stage sampling procedure involving stratification and systematic random sampling across eight neighbourhoods. A total of 381 valid responses were obtained. Quantitative data were analysed using descriptive statistics, composite indices, including the Electricity Reliability Index (ERI). Findings show that 89.5% of households were connected to the national grid, although access varied widely across neighbourhoods. Planned, high-income areas such as Old GRA and Owner Occupier recorded the highest connection rates (over 95%), prepaid metering, and grid reliability, whereas informal and low-income areas including Fiidi and Wadata exhibited lower access, higher informality, and weak service regulation. Although 60.1% of households used prepaid meters, 21.1% had no formal metering, reflecting uneven implementation of electricity governance. Grid supply was complemented by generators (used by 38.7% of households) and emerging solar installations, highlighting persistent reliability challenges. The overall ERI of 3.10 indicates moderate reliability, with Old GRA achieving good reliability (ERI = 3.50) and Wadata showing poor performance (ERI = 2.75). Daily hours of supply remained low in many neighbourhoods, constraining electricity-dependent livelihood activities. The study concludes that electricity access in Makurdi is relatively high but inequitable, with significant implications for household productivity and livelihood diversification. Strengthening reliability, expanding metering coverage, and supporting decentralised energy solutions are essential for improving urban energy security.