Get Guardian on GoogleThe Minister of Power, Joseph Olasunkanmi Tegbe, has assured Nigerians of improved electricity supply, saying the Tinubu administration remains committed to addressing the country’s persistent power challenges.
He gave the assurance during an interactive luncheon with senior newspaper editors in Lagos over the weekend, where he acknowledged public frustration over frequent electricity disruptions.
Tegbe said the Federal Government was pursuing sustained reforms, infrastructure investment and coordinated interventions to improve service delivery across the electricity value chain.
He identified inadequate gas supply, ageing infrastructure, vandalism, transmission limitations, poor metering and commercial challenges as major obstacles to reliable electricity supply.
According to him, these problems require comprehensive solutions and consistent implementation of reforms rather than temporary interventions.
The minister disclosed that the Federal Government had paid N1.23 trillion out of the N3.3 trillion approved by President Bola Tinubu for the settlement of verified legacy debts owed to electricity generation companies.
He also revealed that more than 2.8 million electricity customers had received meters between 2023 and October 2026 under the Presidential Metering Initiative.
Tegbe said recent commissioning of substations and other transmission equipment had added more than 1,300 megavolt-amperes (MVA) to the national transmission capacity.
The improvements cover several locations, including Apapa, Ijora, Ikeja, Kumbotoso, Dankata, Mashi, Dan-Agundi, Biliri and Walalambe.
He further disclosed that the Federal Government was building a new National Grid Control Centre in Osogbo to replace the existing facility, which is more than 60 years old.
The minister said the ministry was also working towards expanding electricity generation capacity to 10,000 megawatts as part of efforts to strengthen supply nationwide.
On plans to improve electricity delivery to major economic centres, Tegbe outlined a corridor-based development strategy targeting the Lagos-Ogun, Benin-Enugu-Port Harcourt and Abuja-Kaduna-Kano routes.
He explained that the Lagos-Ogun axis and Abuja electricity franchise area account for more than 50 per cent of national electricity demand.
According to him, the government has proposed the two areas as pilot locations for 24-hour energy zones, subject to technical readiness and commercial viability.
The initiative seeks to align generation, transmission and distribution capacity with electricity demand in major commercial and industrial centres.
On the protection of critical infrastructure, Tegbe said the Federal Government had approved a coordinated anti-vandalism campaign involving relevant security agencies.
He added that the government would support the campaign with stronger legal measures to protect electricity facilities against attacks and sabotage.
The minister also sought stronger media collaboration to improve public understanding of government policies and ongoing interventions in the power sector.
He stressed that rebuilding public confidence would require transparency, accountability and regular communication about developments across the electricity value chain.
Tegbe urged media organisations to maintain factual reporting and professional scrutiny while ensuring that Nigerians received timely information about electricity disruptions and efforts to resolve them.
He said consumers deserved clear explanations of power outages, remedial measures and the responsibilities of the various institutions involved in electricity generation, transmission and distribution.
Although he acknowledged that the sector remained far from meeting public expectations, the minister expressed confidence that sustained reforms and institutional cooperation would gradually improve electricity supply.
“The ministry will maintain open communication channels, provide regular updates on its activities and welcome constructive criticism,” Tegbe assured the editors
He maintained that the ultimate test of the government’s reforms would be the availability of reliable electricity in Nigerian homes, businesses and industries, rather than policy announcements or installed capacity figures alone.
