Adebayo Adelabu, the Minister of Power, has expressed regret to Nigerians for the severe and protracted power outages that have been observed in recent weeks, recognizing the burden the situation has placed on households and important economic sectors.
The minister acknowledged that living conditions have gotten worse due to the ongoing blackout, especially during the extreme heat of the dry season, during a press conference in Abuja on Tuesday.
“I want to apologise to Nigerians, officially now, coming from me as the Minister of Power, for this temporary issue that is leading to hardship being experienced, especially during this dry season, where there is so much heat everywhere,” Adelabu said.
“Businesses are being affected, schools have been affected, and industries have been affected. It is not our wish to find ourselves in this situation, but it is due to some factors that are actually beyond our control.”
Despite the disruptions, Adelabu assured citizens that the situation would soon improve, offering a clear timeline for restoration of better power supply.
I can tell you, with the committee that we have set up, and commitments from gas suppliers, and the timeline for repair of the gas pipelines, two weeks from now, we should start seeing improvements in supply. Two weeks,” Adelabu said.
He explained that authorities already have projections for the completion of critical repairs, including those involving facilities operated by Seplat Energy, which are expected to restore gas supply to electricity-generating plants.
According to the minister, a dedicated committee has been set up to ensure gas producers meet their domestic supply commitments—an issue that has long limited power generation in the country.
“We already have a committee that is working on this to track compliance with the domestic supply obligations of these gas companies to our power plants,” he said, noting that improved payment structures would also encourage suppliers to deliver more gas.
Nigeria’s electricity sector, which relies heavily on gas-powered plants, has faced setbacks due to supply disruptions, pipeline maintenance issues, and financial constraints affecting operators.
Adelabu acknowledged these systemic challenges but stressed that efforts are ongoing to stabilise the grid and restore consistent supply.
“We are working on it 24/7 to make sure that we go back to the trajectory of 2025, when Nigerians commended us for a good job well done,” he said.
He also reaffirmed the Federal Government’s target to increase electricity output to 6,000 megawatts before the end of 2026, describing the current crisis as a temporary setback in a broader reform plan.
“Power generation will improve, transmission will improve, distribution will improve, and that 6,000 megawatts will be achieved before the end of this year, and Nigerians will be better for it,” he assured.
Adelabu added that the government aims not only to recover lost ground but to exceed previous performance levels.
“If we could provide such service in 2025, this is 2026, we are willing to do more, to even do better,” Adelabu said.
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