Power outages resolved, stable electricity in 3–5 years — Tegbe

The Minister of Power, Joseph Tegbe, has assured Nigerians that recent electricity supply challenges in parts of the country have been resolved, promising sustained efforts to improve national grid stability. Tegbe gave the assurance on Monday during an interview on a TVC television programme. His remarks followed electricity supply disruptions reported in four states, including Lagos and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

On November 7, the minister attributed the outages to scheduled maintenance at Egbin Power Station, gas supply constraints affecting some thermal power plants and alleged sabotage of transmission lines. He explained that the maintenance exercise and inadequate gas supply had reduced the volume of electricity available on the national grid. Speaking on Monday, however, Tegbe said the maintenance had been completed and the immediate challenges addressed.

“Number one, we’ve sorted out this little challenge we had in the last few days. It was painful for most of you. But look, we fixed it. And we will ensure that that stability remains. My focus is to ensure grid stability,” he said. He said electricity had also been restored to several parts of Lagos as of Sunday night, following the interventions. “I’m sure in Lagos, I confirm as at last night because I made personal calls, Ajah, Lekki, Ikoyi, Magodo, Ikeja, lights are back,” he said.

“And people have attested to it, people have sent me messages. Nigerians, again, I appeal to you, just bear with us, we’ll get there.” The minister projected that Nigeria could achieve more stable electricity supply within the next three to five years, noting that improvements would depend on investments in infrastructure and increased generation and transmission capacity.

“Honestly speaking, you already see some visible improvement despite the challenge we have had. By the time we fix the grid… okay? I’ll look at the horizon of about three to five years from now,” Tegbe said. He explained that expanding electricity infrastructure required time, adding that growing demand from businesses, artificial intelligence applications and remote working made increased power generation and transmission capacity imperative.

“Infrastructure build out is not done overnight. Even when we fix some of the challenges we have today, we need to build the capacity. “Everybody’s building capacity for AI, for data. Most young people work from home, and because of that, there’s a need for bandwidth and for electricity supply,” he said. FG PLANS $2BN EAST-WEST SUPER GRID Tegbe also disclosed that the Federal Government was planning a $2 billion investment in an east-west super grid to strengthen the country’s electricity transmission network and expand its capacity.

He said the proposed infrastructure would complement existing transmission facilities rather than replace them, while improving the resilience and stability of the national grid. According to him, the project would traverse the country, linking Funtua, Gwagwalada, Ikot Ekpene, Benin, Epe and Ilorin. He said the government had commenced the procurement process and expected the project to be completed within two years.

The minister said the initiative was expected to increase the grid’s transmission capacity from about 4,000 megawatts to 19,000 megawatts. He added that the government was also working towards greater private sector participation in electricity transmission within the next two to three years. “So give me a time horizon of three to five years. Nigeria will enjoy stable life.

And as demand improves, it will get better,” he said. Tegbe said the immediate priority of the government was to optimise existing electricity infrastructure to improve supply and minimise disruptions. He appealed to Nigerians to exercise patience, acknowledging the difficulties households and businesses faced as a result of inadequate electricity supply.