By Abubakar Yunusa
The Minister of Power, Joseph Tegbe, has apologised to Nigerians over the worsening electricity supply disruptions in parts of the country, particularly Lagos, Abuja, Ogun, Kwara and Oyo states.
Tegbe assured Nigerians that the Federal Government was working with relevant electricity agencies to restore normal supply, promising that efforts were underway to address the situation.
The minister’s assurance comes amid growing concerns from households, businesses and public institutions over the recent decline in electricity supply, especially in areas that had recorded improvements in recent weeks.
In a statement issued on Thursday by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Adeola Adelabu, the minister acknowledged the hardship caused by the disruptions.
The statement said preliminary assessments indicated that the outages were not caused by a major or systemic failure of the national grid.
Rather, it attributed the development to maintenance and operational challenges across parts of the electricity value chain, alongside inadequate gas supply to thermal power plants and reduced hydroelectric generation.
It explained that lower water inflows into reservoirs had affected output from hydroelectric stations, further worsening electricity generation.
“The Ministry acknowledges the inconvenience this has caused households, businesses and public institutions, and understands the frustration of Nigerians who had begun to see the benefits of steadier supply,” the statement said.
The ministry added that Tegbe was working closely with the Transmission Company of Nigeria, the Nigerian Independent System Operator and electricity distribution companies to resolve the challenges.
According to the statement, the minister had engaged the relevant operators to address operational constraints, accelerate ongoing maintenance and ensure that normal electricity supply was restored as quickly as possible.
It added that the ministry would continue to provide updates as restoration efforts progressed.
“The Ministry reaffirms its commitment to the progress already recorded and to improving the reliability and quality of electricity supply nationwide.
“Nigerians deserve better power, and this administration is working to deliver it,” the statement added.
The minister also appealed to Nigerians to remain patient, assuring them that the government was committed to improving electricity supply across the country.
The development comes as the Nigerian Independent System Operator had earlier blamed the decline in electricity supply on inadequate gas deliveries to power generation plants.
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