• Citizens rely on expensive self-generating electricity – Amadi

The Minister of Power, Joseph Olasunkanmi Tegbe, has said the Federal Government would continue to pursue sector reforms, partnerships and investments aimed at improving electricity supply, while committing to clear responsibilities, measurable service outcomes and transparent communication.

Speaking at the 2026 Association of Energy Correspondents of Nigeria (NAEC), Energy Conference in Lagos, themed: “Access to Assets: Empowering Players and Driving Growth”, Tegbe, represented at the conference by the Director, Information and Press, Clement Ezeorah, urged investors considering asset acquisition or expansion to look beyond returns from individual facilities and consider the wider economic value that reliable electricity could create.

“Reliable power enables the manufacturing, logistics and services that expand the economy around your investment,” he said.

He said the opportunity in Nigeria’s power sector extended beyond constructing additional generation capacity, stressing that existing plants could deliver more electricity if their underlying constraints were addressed.

“The first is recovering dependable output from existing generation assets. Plant rehabilitation, efficient operations and maintenance, reliable gas deliveries and adequate evacuation can convert investment already made into dependable electricity supply,” he said.

He said proposed interventions should first identify the actual constraint affecting a power plant before additional capacity is introduced.

“Every proposed intervention should be tested against the binding constraint, whether plant condition, transmission limitations, gas supply, collections or payment,” he said.

According to him, adding generation capacity where the real constraint lies elsewhere could tie up capital without improving electricity supply to customers.

“Adding capacity where the constraint lies elsewhere will tie up capital without improving the customer experience,” he said.

The minister also identified industrial estates, agro-processing centres and commercial clusters as opportunities for investors to aggregate electricity demand, secure credible offtake and develop dedicated generation and supply arrangements within the regulatory framework.

On distribution, the minister called for investment in feeder rehabilitation, substation transformers, metering and digital revenue systems, saying these could improve electricity delivery and payment while helping operators distinguish technical losses from collection failures.

In his address, the Chairman of NAEC, UgoAmadi, stated that over 90 million Nigerians still lack reliable electricity, forcing households and industries to rely on expensive self-generation to meet their daily energy needs.

He added that grid disturbances continue to expose transmission vulnerabilities, while power distribution companies remain bogged down by financial and operational inefficiencies.

“Grid disturbances continue to expose transmission fragility, and over 90 million Nigerians still lack reliable electricity, forcing households and industries to rely on expensive self-generation.

“In power, Distribution Companies (DisCos) remain liquidity-constrained, collection efficiency is low and estimated billing persists,” Amadi stated.

He noted that Nigeria has recorded measurable progress in the last few years, but significant gaps still demand urgent attention from government and stakeholders.