Nigeria’s Minister of Power, Joseph Tegbe, has assured Nigerians that electricity supply will begin to improve within the next 48 to 72 hours as the Federal Government intensifies efforts to address challenges affecting power generation and transmission.
Tegbe gave the assurance amid widespread electricity outages affecting parts of the country, particularly Lagos, Ogun, the Federal Capital Territory and other areas experiencing reduced power supply.
In a statement titled ‘Update on Power Situation’, published on his Facebook page on Friday, the minister attributed the disruptions partly to planned maintenance at Egbin Power Station in Lagos, which he described as Nigeria’s largest thermal power-generating facility, contributing approximately 16 per cent of electricity on the national grid.
He explained that maintenance activities at the facility, alongside gas supply constraints affecting some thermal power stations, had reduced the volume of electricity available for distribution across the country.
According to him, grid operators had consequently introduced load shedding in some areas to manage the electricity shortfall.
The minister also identified the sabotage of critical transmission lines as another challenge, noting that it had restricted alternative routes for electricity transmission to certain locations, particularly Lagos.
Tegbe said the ministry was working with relevant operators to restore affected generating units in phases, improve gas supply and accelerate repairs to damaged infrastructure.
He stated that the first affected generating units were expected to return to operation within the next 48 to 72 hours, expressing optimism that the development would gradually improve electricity availability.
The assurance comes amid growing frustration among electricity consumers, particularly residents and business owners in Lagos and Ogun states, who have complained about prolonged blackouts and the difficulties associated with the prevailing hot weather.
Meanwhile, the electricity crisis has triggered disagreements between the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) and Ikeja Electric over the causes of recent power interruptions recorded on November 3 and 4.
TCN rejected Ikeja Electric’s explanation that grid instability was responsible for the outages, insisting that inadequate gas supply to thermal power stations and reduced hydroelectric generation were the major factors behind the decline in electricity available for distribution.
The transmission company maintained that it could only transmit electricity generated and made available to the national grid, adding that the Nigerian Independent System Operator had not identified any transmission network failure as the cause of the disruptions.
Tegbe’s latest assurance comes as Nigerians await tangible improvements in electricity supply following days of reduced power availability across several states.
