The Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, has apologized to Nigerians over the nationwide power outages that citizens have been experiencing.
The Minister assured that measures are being implemented to address the situation and promised that there will be noticeable improvements in the electricity supply within the coming weeks.
He described the power outages as temporary, but acknowledged that they have caused hardship for the citizens.
Naija News reports that Adelabu tendered the apology on Tuesday during a press conference in Abuja, as public frustration continues to mount over erratic electricity supply amid rising temperatures.
The minister acknowledged the impact of the outages on homes and businesses, particularly during the dry season when electricity demand for cooling has surged.
“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.
“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,” Adelabu said.
Despite the current challenges, the Minister assured Nigerians that efforts are underway to restore a stable power supply.
According to him, electricity supply is expected to begin improving within the next two weeks, following commitments from gas suppliers and ongoing repairs on critical infrastructure.
“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,” he said.
Adelabu explained that the government now has clear timelines for the completion of key repairs, including those involving facilities operated by Seplat Energy, which are crucial to restoring gas supply to power plants.
He also disclosed that a special committee has been set up to monitor compliance with domestic gas supply obligations by gas producers, a longstanding challenge affecting 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 added.
The Minister reiterated that the federal government is committed to the task of making electricity available to all Nigerians.
According to him, the government has a target of increasing power generation to 6,000 megawatts before the end of 2026.
“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.
“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,” the Minister assured.
Adelabu added that beyond restoring supply, the government aims to surpass previous performance levels in the sector.
“If we could provide such service in 2025, this is 2026, we are willing to do more, to even do better,” he said.
The apology comes amidst epileptic power supply and worrying concerns about an imminent blackout in Nigeria, as gas suppliers have reduced the amount they supply to thermal power plants across the country, leading to reduced electricity supply to homes and businesses.
Recall that earlier in March, the Nigerian Independent System Operator (NISO), which oversees the management of electricity generation and grid operations across the country, confirmed a sharp drop in the electricity generation on Nigeria’s national grid.
The NISO added that several power plants were forced to shut down due to inadequate gas supply.
According to the operator, the figure was already below expected capacity because of persistent gas supply constraints affecting several thermal power stations.