President Bola Tinubu has reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to tackling persistent power supply challenges in Nigeria’s healthcare facilities, stressing that no Nigerian should die as a result of electricity interruptions in hospitals.

Speaking through the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator George Akume, at the National Stakeholders Dialogue on Power in the Health Sector on Tuesday, Tinubu described power outages in tertiary hospitals and public health institutions as a pressing national concern.

“Today, we face a pressing issue that affects every Nigerian: the persistent power supply crisis in our tertiary hospitals and public health institutions,” the president said, according to a statement issued by the Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to the SGF, Yomi Odunuga.

He highlighted the impact of power failures in surgical theatres, maternity wards, intensive care units, laboratories, and emergency rooms, noting that outages “too often compromise safety, interrupt care, and cost lives.”

“This crisis demands our immediate attention and concerted action,” Tinubu added, describing the situation as unacceptable and pledging that his government would prioritise sustainable energy solutions for health facilities nationwide. “These outages cannot continue, and under our administration, they should not. Lives are at stake. We must act now.”

The president said that efforts to improve energy supply in healthcare are part of the broader Renewed Hope Agenda, which aims to decentralise energy solutions and encourage private sector participation.

“Let me therefore affirm unequivocally that my administration is fully committed to the transformation of our health sector by targeting innovative solutions at the hydra-headed challenges bedevilling the sector, including the sub-optimal, inefficient and often uneconomical electricity supply that drives up the cost of services, disrupts care, compromises quality and increases patient dissatisfaction,” he said.

Tinubu assured private investors of a conducive environment for business in the health, energy, and infrastructure sectors and expressed readiness to collaborate with credible partners, particularly in renewable and hybrid energy systems.

Citing ongoing national initiatives, he highlighted the Energy Transition Plan and Power Sector Reform efforts as foundations for “cleaner, more resilient, and more decentralised energy delivery systems across Nigeria.”

The initiatives, he said, would prioritise off-grid solar and hybrid systems for critical public infrastructure while offering incentives, supportive regulations, and innovative financing models to attract investment.

Despite past interventions, including a 50 per cent electricity subsidy for public hospitals announced in August 2024, and a ₦100 billion provision for the National Public Sector Solarisation Initiative in August 2025, power reliability in hospitals remains a critical challenge.

Health sector stakeholders have reported that many facilities continue to pay full energy costs, and outages persist, especially outside major cities.

The president’s comments follow years of systemic challenges in the health sector, including underfunding, inadequate infrastructure, and unreliable electricity supply, which have affected patient care, driven medical tourism, and contributed to the migration of healthcare professionals.