FG settles ₦1.23trn electricity debt, says Power Minister

…2.8m customers metered, transmission capacity rises by 1,300MVA The Minister of Power, Joseph Olasunkanmi Tegbe, has said the Federal Government has settled ₦1.23 trillion out of the ₦3.3 trillion approved by President Bola Tinubu for the payment of verified legacy debts owed to electricity generation companies. Tegbe also disclosed that more than 2.8 million electricity customers had been metered between 2023 and October 2026 under the Presidential Metering Initiative.

The minister made the disclosures on Friday at an interactive luncheon with senior editors in Lagos, where he reaffirmed the Tinubu administration’s commitment to improving electricity supply through sustained reforms, infrastructure investment and better service delivery. He acknowledged Nigerians’ frustration over unreliable electricity supply but said the government was addressing the sector’s longstanding challenges through coordinated interventions.

According to him, the challenges include gas supply constraints, ageing infrastructure, vandalism, transmission limitations, inadequate metering and commercial difficulties across the electricity value chain. He said the interconnected nature of the problems required disciplined implementation of reforms rather than isolated interventions or short-term solutions.

Highlighting progress in the transmission segment, Tegbe said recently commissioned substations and equipment had added more than 1,300 megavolt-amperes, MVA, to the national transmission capacity. He listed the locations covered by the improvements to include Apapa, Ijora, Ikeja, Kumbotoso, Dankata, Mashi, Dan-Agundi, Biliri and Walalambe. The minister also disclosed that the government was building a new National Grid Control Centre in Osogbo to replace the existing facility, which is more than 60 years old.

He said the government was also working towards expanding electricity generation capacity to 10,000 megawatts. On the ministry’s development strategy, Tegbe identified the Lagos-Ogun, Benin-Enugu-Port Harcourt and Abuja-Kaduna-Kano economic corridors as priority energy zones. He explained that the Lagos-Ogun axis and Abuja franchise area, which together account for more than 50 per cent of national electricity demand, had been identified as proposed pilot locations for 24-hour energy zones, subject to technical readiness and commercial viability.

The initiative, he said, was aimed at aligning electricity generation, transmission and distribution capacity with demand in major economic centres. On the protection of electricity infrastructure, Tegbe said the Federal Government had approved a coordinated anti-vandalism campaign involving relevant security agencies, alongside stronger legal measures to safeguard critical power assets.

The minister also sought a stronger partnership with the media, stressing the need for factual reporting, professional scrutiny and transparent communication of government interventions. He said Nigerians deserved timely explanations of electricity disruptions, remedial measures and the responsibilities of institutions across the power value chain.

Tegbe acknowledged that the sector remained far from meeting public expectations but expressed confidence that sustained reforms, institutional collaboration and disciplined implementation would progressively improve electricity supply. He assured the editors that the ministry would maintain open communication channels, welcome constructive criticism and provide regular updates on the implementation of its reforms.

The minister stressed that the ultimate measure of success would not be installed capacity or policy announcements alone, but tangible improvements in electricity supply to homes, businesses and industries across the country.