By Aliyu Oyewole
The Minister of Power, Joseph Tegbe, has commenced engagements with electricity distribution companies as part of plans to establish dedicated 24/7 Energy Zones in Nigeria’s major electricity-demand centres.
Tegbe disclosed this after holding a strategic closed-door meeting with the leadership of selected distribution companies to discuss the proposed initiative.
The planned Energy Zones will initially target major economic corridors, including the Abuja axis, Lagos axis, Kaduna-Kano corridor and Enugu-Port Harcourt corridor, with the objective of improving electricity supply to homes, businesses and industries.
According to the minister, the challenge facing Nigeria’s electricity sector goes beyond generation and transmission, with weaknesses at the distribution end also limiting the amount of available power that ultimately reaches consumers.
He said the proposed Energy Zones are designed to address the distribution gap, increase power uptake, unlock commercial and industrial demand and improve the financial sustainability of electricity distribution companies.
The initiative comes as the Federal Government intensifies efforts to improve electricity supply and strengthen infrastructure across high-demand areas. Tegbe had previously identified the Lagos, Enugu-Port Harcourt and Abuja-Kaduna-Kano corridors as priorities for grid stabilisation.
The minister said infrastructure would also be expanded in areas with high electricity demand to ensure that power supply grows alongside the needs of Nigeria’s expanding economy.
He linked the programme to President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, which places reliable electricity supply at the centre of industrialisation, economic growth and job creation.
The latest move is part of broader power-sector interventions under Tegbe, who has said generation and transmission have recently risen above 5,000 megawatts, while the government has also undertaken measures to unlock additional transmission capacity and restore previously unavailable generation capacity.
