Power Minister apologises over outages, vows improvement in Two Weeks

Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, has apologised to Nigerians over the persistent and widespread electricity outages experienced across the country in recent weeks, admitting that the situation has placed significant pressure on homes, businesses, and critical sectors.

Speaking during a press briefing in Abuja on Tuesday, Adelabu acknowledged that the blackout has made life more difficult, especially with the current dry-season heat.

“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.

He noted that the impact of the outages has been felt across different sectors.

“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.”

The minister, however, assured Nigerians that efforts are ongoing to address the problem, giving a timeline for expected improvement in 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,” he said.

Adelabu explained that authorities already have a clear plan for completing key repairs, including work on facilities linked to Seplat Energy, which are expected to restore gas supply to power plants.

He added that a special committee has been set up to monitor gas companies and ensure they meet their obligations to supply gas for electricity generation.

“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 better payment arrangements would also encourage suppliers to deliver more gas.

Nigeria’s power sector, which largely depends on gas-fired plants, has continued to face challenges such as supply disruptions, pipeline repairs, and financial constraints affecting operators.

Adelabu admitted these ongoing issues but maintained that efforts are being intensified to stabilise the national grid and improve electricity 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 restated the Federal Government’s goal to increase electricity generation to 6,000 megawatts before the end of 2026, describing the current situation as a temporary setback.

“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,” Adelabu assured.

He added that the government is determined not just to recover but to surpass previous achievements.

“If we could provide such service in 2025, this is 2026, we are willing to do more, to even do better,” Adelabu said.