Power Outage: Tegbe Gives Nigerians 72-Hour Timeline as FG Moves to Restore Electricity

Power Outage: Tegbe Gives Nigerians 72-Hour Timeline as FG Moves to Restore Electricity

 

ABUJA – Minister of Power, Joseph Tegbe, has assured Nigerians that electricity supply will begin to improve within the next 48 to 72 hours as the Federal Government intensifies efforts to address the challenges responsible for the recent power outages across parts of the country.

 

Tegbe gave the assurance in an update on the country’s power situation amid growing complaints from electricity consumers over prolonged blackouts, particularly in Lagos and the Federal Capital Territory.

 

The minister attributed the worsening electricity supply to a combination of planned maintenance at Egbin Power Station, inadequate gas supply to some thermal power plants and sabotage of critical transmission lines.

 

According to him, the challenges have reduced the volume of electricity available on the national grid, forcing grid operators to implement load shedding in some areas to manage the shortfall.

 

He explained that maintenance activities at Egbin Power Station, one of Nigeria’s major electricity-generating facilities, had contributed significantly to the reduction in power generation.

 

The minister also identified gas supply constraints affecting some thermal power stations as another factor responsible for the decline in electricity generation.

 

Tegbe further alleged that sabotage of key transmission lines had restricted the use of alternative routes for supplying electricity to some locations, particularly Lagos.

 

He said the Federal Government was working with relevant operators to address the challenges and restore the affected generating units in phases.

 

“My team and I are working to return the affected generating units to service in phases, with the first units coming back online within the next 48 to 72 hours.

 

“We are also working with operators to improve gas supply and accelerate repairs to the damaged infrastructure,” he said.

 

The minister acknowledged the hardship caused by the outages, noting that the disruptions had placed considerable pressure on households and businesses in the affected states.

 

He apologised to electricity consumers experiencing the interruptions and thanked them for their patience, promising to provide further updates as efforts to restore supply progress.

 

The latest assurance follows growing public complaints over worsening electricity supply, with residents and businesses in several locations struggling to cope with prolonged outages.

 

The power crisis has also triggered disagreements between the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) and Ikeja Electric over the causes of recent supply interruptions.

 

While Ikeja Electric had cited grid instability in explaining its inability to meet electricity supply obligations to some Band A customers, TCN disputed the explanation, attributing the decline largely to inadequate gas supply and reduced electricity generation.

 

Tegbe had earlier directed TCN, the Nigerian Independent System Operator (NISO) and electricity distribution companies (DisCos) to address operational challenges contributing to the decline in power supply.

 

Nigerians will now be watching closely to see whether the promised improvement materialises within the 48-to-72-hour timeframe.

 

 

Power Outage: Tegbe Gives Nigerians 72-Hour Timeline as FG Moves to Restore Electricity