Power Minister Seeks Nigerians’ Patience Amid Worsening Electricity Supply

Nigeria’s Minister of Power, Joseph Tegbe, has apologised to Nigerians over the recent electricity disruptions affecting Lagos and other parts of the country, promising that the government is working to improve supply.

Speaking during an interview on TVC’s The Morning Brief on Monday, the minister explained that the recent reduction in electricity supply was not caused by a nationwide grid collapse.

He attributed the disruption to planned maintenance at the Egbin Power Plant and the vandalism of a major 330-kilovolt transmission line supplying the Lagos electricity network.

According to him, the problems resulted in a significant reduction in available electricity, forcing authorities to introduce load shedding across Lagos, Ogun and parts of Kwara State.

The minister disclosed that the Egbin disruption had affected nearly 800 megawatts of electricity generation, while the damaged transmission line had previously supplied between 300 and 400 megawatts to the Lagos electricity complex.

He also revealed that the government had paid down ₦1.23 trillion of outstanding debts in the power sector, leaving approximately ₦2 trillion to be settled. He said the government was also working to tackle infrastructure vandalism and improve electricity generation and transmission.

The minister assured Nigerians that efforts were underway to stabilise electricity supply, although he acknowledged that the country’s ageing power infrastructure would require significant investment and time to address.