By Ayomide Otitoju
The Minister of Power, Joseph Olasunkanmi Tegbe, has described his first 100 days in office as a period of “diagnosis and stabilisation”, during which the Federal Government recorded modest but measurable progress in rebuilding Nigeria’s electricity value chain.
Speaking at a media parley in Abuja to mark the milestone, Tegbe said the Ministry had focused on repairing existing infrastructure, recovering stranded assets, restoring market discipline and strengthening governance.
He acknowledged that many Nigerians continued to face unreliable electricity supply and the high cost of self-generation, saying the government’s priority was to extend recent improvements to more communities.
“When I say that there are improvements in certain places, I do not categorically deny the experiences of those that are yet to benefit,” he said.
According to the Minister, the Ministry’s approach is anchored on three pillars: stabilising the electricity value chain, restoring market discipline and strengthening governance.
Tegbe said one of the key achievements was the restoration of the 375MW Alaoji open-cycle power plant to the national grid after three years offline.
He added that transformers commissioned at Apapa, Ijora, Alausa and Lekki in Lagos had unlocked 672MW of transmission capacity, while a 300MVA transformer at Katampe, Abuja, added another 240MW.
The Minister said operational records showed generation and transmission exceeding 5,000MW in recent weeks, compared with 3,700MW to 4,700MW before June, with a generation peak of 5,330MW recorded in August and September.
He, however, cautioned that national generation peaks did not necessarily reflect the electricity experience of individual communities.
On electricity access, Tegbe said 62 solar and mini-grid installations across 30 states had provided about 43.6MW of installed solar capacity and 41,735 new connections, reaching an estimated 208,000 people.
He also highlighted the launch of the Renewable Asset Management Company (RAMCO) to professionally manage publicly financed renewable-energy assets and support their long-term sustainability.
On market liquidity, Tegbe said about ₦1.23 trillion had been raised towards addressing the power-sector debt backlog as part of a broader programme targeting the sector’s estimated ₦3.3 trillion debt.
He added that about 350,000 meters were installed during his first 100 days, bringing cumulative installations to 1,004,260 as of August 2026.
Tegbe also reiterated that the Federal Government had no plan to increase electricity tariffs.
He said governance reforms would focus on greater transparency, clearer performance indicators and scorecards, publication of costs and operator performance, universal metering and stronger accountability across the electricity value chain.
Looking ahead, the Minister identified four priorities: deeper grid stabilisation along the Lagos, Enugu-Port Harcourt and Abuja-Kaduna-Kano corridors; development of the Transmission Super Grid; improved utilisation of existing assets by linking electricity supply to productive economic clusters; and preparation of infrastructure for future demand.
He said the Ministry would focus over the next six months on translating the repairs and reforms already undertaken into visible improvements in supply reliability, billing accuracy and the resolution of faults and complaints.
“Our original commitment to visible, incremental improvements remains the benchmark,” Tegbe said.
He urged Nigerians to support the reform programme and called on communities to protect electricity infrastructure from vandalism and theft.
Tegbe said the ultimate objective remained a reliable and sustainable electricity sector capable of supporting businesses, strengthening the economy and improving the daily lives of Nigerians.
