Power Minister Apologises To Nigerians Over Outages, Promises Improved Electricity Supply

 

Mr Tegbe said President Bola Tinubu also shared the concerns of Nigerians over the unreliable electricity supply, adding that the government was doing everything possible to address the challenges.

The Minister of Power, Joseph Tegbe, has apologised to Nigerians over recent electricity outages, particularly in Lagos and other affected states, and assured residents that the government is working to improve power supply.

Mr Tegbe said the president also shared the concerns of Nigerians over the unreliable electricity supply, adding that the government was doing everything possible to address the challenges.

He spoke during an interview on TVC’s The Morning Brief, where he explained the causes of the recent disruptions and outlined measures to stabilise electricity supply.

The minister said the recent disruption was not a national grid collapse but a reduction in power supply caused by planned maintenance at the Egbin Power Plant and the vandalism of a transmission line serving Lagos.

According to him, the vandalised line is a 330-kilovolt transmission line that supplies the Lagos electricity complex with between 300 and 400 megawatts.

He said the disruption at Egbin also caused a loss of nearly 800 megawatts, forcing authorities to introduce load shedding across Lagos, Ogun and parts of Kwara State.

Mr Tegbe said he swung into action as soon as the situation came to his attention.

“Nigerians deserve to have electricity. It is not a big deal, and it is not rocket science,” he said.

He acknowledged that much of the country’s electricity infrastructure was old but said the government had made progress in restoring supply.

The minister said he had earlier assured Nigerians that the disruption would be resolved within 48 to 72 hours, adding that the government had made significant progress towards that commitment.

He said the Lagos electricity complex was receiving about 1,000 megawatts as of the previous night and Monday morning, while Egbin’s ST1 turbine had returned to operation.

He also said he received a commitment that another turbine, ST3, would resume operation later on Monday, adding about 150 megawatts to the supply available to the Lagos complex.

Mr Tegbe, however, said the damage to transmission infrastructure remained a major challenge.

He questioned why the electricity system lacked adequate alternative transmission routes when existing lines developed faults.

“Some of the equipment we have is 40 to 50 years old,” he said.

He disclosed that only three transmission lines supplying Lagos were currently operational, while another had been out of service for more than 18 months.

The affected line, which runs from Oshogbo to Ikeja West through Oshodi, is expected to deliver an additional 400 megawatts to Lagos when restored.

However, about six transmission towers along the route have been vandalised, making repairs difficult.

The minister said the affected area was swampy, complicating access and repair work, but expressed confidence that the line would be restored by the end of November.

He said restoring the damaged infrastructure would help stabilise electricity supply along the Lagos-Ogun corridor.

Gas supply, debts affecting electricity generation
Mr Tegbe said the electricity sector faced challenges across the entire value chain, including gas supply, generation and transmission.

He said Nigeria has sufficient gas resources to generate electricity but faces constraints in the gas supply chain.

“I can tell you categorically, we have gas. There is gas availability for us as a nation. It is a comparative advantage. However, within the gas supply chain, there are constraints,” he said.

According to him, one major constraint is electricity generation companies’ inability to pay for gas because of debts owed to them.

He said the federal government had reduced the outstanding debt to N3.3 trillion, with President Bola Tinubu supporting efforts to settle the liabilities.

“In the last few months, we have paid down N1.23 trillion. We only have N2 trillion left,” he said.

The minister said the remaining N2 trillion would be paid next year.

He said settling the debts would ease the financial difficulties faced by generation companies and improve their ability to purchase gas for power production.

Mr Tegbe also acknowledged that some power plants were ageing but said the government was working to replace them with newer facilities.

Government sets up task force against vandalism
The minister said the government had established a task force to tackle the vandalism of electricity infrastructure.

He said the task force comprises the Ministry of Power, the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN), the Nigerian Independent System Operator (NISO), the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA), Homeland Security and the Department of State Services (DSS).

According to him, the government has mapped areas affected by vandalism and found that many overlap with locations identified as hotspots for kidnapping and banditry.

He said the government planned to deploy newly acquired helicopters and drones to monitor vulnerable infrastructure, alongside rapid-response operations to arrest suspected vandals.

However, he said the existing legal framework needed strengthening to ensure offenders faced appropriate prosecution.

Mr Tegbe explained that suspected vandals were currently tried in magistrate courts, a process he said could delay justice.

He said the government was proposing amendments to the relevant law to empower authorities to prosecute offenders more effectively.

Minister promises long-term improvement
Mr Tegbe said Nigerians should expect gradual improvements in electricity supply, noting that the country’s infrastructure challenges could not be resolved overnight.

“I took office in June and have only served as minister for five months, though it sometimes feels like five years. The truth is, there are challenges at every stage of the value chain,” he said.

He said Nigerians should begin to feel the impact of the government’s interventions within three to five years, while acknowledging that the sector still needs more infrastructure and generation capacity.

The minister said the government was pursuing different approaches to address electricity shortages in urban and rural communities.

He cited Talase in Gombe State, which he said had been without electricity for 17 years, as an example of a community needing alternative solutions.

He said the government was working to strengthen the national grid to improve supply in major urban centres such as Lagos while deploying solar mini-grids to remote communities where extending transmission infrastructure would be too expensive.

According to him, the government is providing solar mini-grids with capacities ranging from 17 to 20 megawatts to some of these communities, with some already enjoying round-the-clock electricity.

Mr Tegbe reiterated that he shared Nigerians’ frustration over poor electricity supply and said he remained committed, alongside the president, to addressing the challenges in the power sector.

SOURCE: PREMIUM TIMES