Abstract

Manufacturing firms require adequate business support facilities in order to operate optimally and contribute to the economic growth of nations. The quality of the business support services is as important as their availability or provision. While it has been established that the existing business support services in Nigeria are inadequate, the quality of the existing business support facilities is unknown. Based on the contention that quality is determined by the user or customer, this study evaluates the service quality of electricity services in Nigeria from manufacturers’ perception. The entire population of the study constituting the general managers and assistant managers of the thirteen (13) functioning manufacturing firms in the Kakuri Industrial Estate of Kaduna were surveyed cross-sectionally. A modified SERVQUAL scale with six (6) dimensions and twenty-seven (27)- items was adopted in measuring the service quality of electricity supply to the industries. In the course of data analysis, descriptive statistics showed that the service quality of electricity services is poor for tangibility, reliability, responsiveness, assurance, empathy and recovery dimensions. Pearson correlation statistical tool applied to test hypothesis one revealed a significant negative association between expected and perceived service quality of electricity supplies (r = -.458; α = .032), while Paired T-test used to test the hypothesis two indicated that there is significant negative difference between the industrialists’ expected and perceived electricity services quality (t = -9.720; α = 000). The study, therefore, recommends that the Nigerian government as well as stakeholders should ensure that the quality of electricity supplies in Nigeria is upgraded alongside the quantity (or megawatts) upsurge in the on-going power reforms in the country.