KEY POINTS

• Power Minister Joseph Tegbe says electricity supply will soon improve in Lagos, Abuja, Ogun and Kwara following recent disruptions.
• He attributes the outages to maintenance challenges, gas supply constraints and reduced water inflows into hydroelectric reservoirs.
• The minister says preliminary assessments have not identified a major or systemic failure of the national grid.

MAIN STORY

The Minister of Power, Joseph Tegbe, has assured Nigerians experiencing reduced electricity supply in parts of the country that efforts are underway to restore normal supply.

In a statement made available to journalists on Friday evening in Lagos, Tegbe said electricity supply would soon improve in Lagos, Abuja, Ogun and Kwara, among other affected areas.

He acknowledged the disruption to households, businesses and public institutions, noting that the government understood the financial and operational difficulties caused by prolonged power outages.

“We recognise what every hour without power means for individuals, families and businesses, and we do not take it lightly,” he said.

The minister said preliminary assessments indicated that the disruptions were not caused by any major or systemic failure of the national grid. Instead, he attributed the reduced supply to maintenance and operational challenges in parts of the electricity sector, as well as lower power generation.

THE ISSUES

Tegbe identified gas supply constraints affecting thermal power stations and reduced water inflows into hydroelectric reservoirs as factors limiting electricity generation.

These constraints have reduced the amount of electricity available for distribution to consumers, while maintenance and operational issues have also affected supply in some areas.

The minister said the government was working with the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN), Nigerian Independent System Operator (NISO) and electricity distribution companies to address the problems.

He added that he had engaged relevant operators to resolve operational challenges, speed up ongoing maintenance and provide consumers with information on restoration efforts.

WHAT’S BEING SAID

“All of these are being addressed.” – Joseph Tegbe, Minister of Power.

WHAT’S NEXT

Tegbe said the ministry would continue working with power sector operators to restore supply and improve the reliability and quality of electricity nationwide.

He promised further updates as the restoration efforts progressed and thanked consumers for their patience.

BOTTOM LINE

The government has attributed the latest electricity supply disruptions to a combination of lower generation and operational challenges, rather than a major national grid failure. However, consumers and businesses in affected areas will be looking for a return to more reliable supply as the ministry and power sector operators work to resolve the problems.