The Minister of Power, Bayo Adelabu, has accused the electricity distribution companies (DisCos) in Nigeria of letting Nigerians down by not providing adequate power supply and making them vulnerable in the power supply chain.

“We need to get tough with the Discos, as they can easily frustrate all the gains we have made. They have disappointed us in performance expectations. Whatever we do in generation does not mean anything to consumers if it is frustrated at the distribution points,” he said.

Adelabu added that many DisCos borrow loans to buy assets and prioritise loan repayment over providing electricity infrastructure first Nigerians.

The power minister said this this while addressing an audience in Ikot-Ekpene, Akwa Ibom State, during a two-day retreat hosted by the Senate Committee on Power.

While speaking, Adelabu, noted that many DisCos, particularly the ones domicile in Northern Nigeria fulfil a meager percentage of the anticipated revenue in 2024.

““In the fourth quarter of 2024, Discos in the North remitted just N124.4 billion (30 per cent) of their N408.86 billion invoice, with Abuja Disco accounting for 85 per cent of Northern payments,” said Adelabu.

“Southern Discos fared slightly better, remitting N254.6 billion (67 per cent), though 70 per cent of this came from Lagos Discos alone.”

To solve this and restore the electricity sector, Adelabu said the ministry will improve the enforcement of performance benchmarks and restructure underperforming DisCos.