By Ayomide Otitoju
The Minister of Power, Joseph Olasunkanmi Tegbe, has disclosed that the Federal Government recorded improvements in electricity generation, transmission, metering and sector liquidity during his first 100 days in office.
Speaking at a media parley in Abuja, Tegbe said the Ministry’s immediate priority was to stabilise the electricity value chain before embarking on large-scale expansion.
He said the 375MW Alaoji open-cycle power plant had been restored to the national grid after three years offline, while interventions in Lagos and Abuja unlocked an additional 912MW of transmission capacity.
According to him, new transformers commissioned at Apapa, Ijora, Alausa and Lekki unlocked 672MW, while a 300MVA transformer energised at Katampe added another 240MW.
Tegbe said generation and transmission had exceeded 5,000MW in recent weeks, compared with the 3,700MW to 4,700MW range recorded before June, while a generation peak of 5,330MW was achieved in August and September.
He, however, said the Ministry’s focus remained on translating system-level improvements into more reliable electricity supply for consumers.
Tegbe said about ₦1.23 trillion had been mobilised towards settling the power sector’s debt backlog as part of efforts to address an estimated ₦3.3 trillion in outstanding obligations.
He said improving liquidity was critical because financial weakness in one segment of the electricity value chain could affect the performance of others.
“Unpaid bills weaken gas supply and maintenance; unreliable supply depresses collections; poor collections deepen debt,” he said.
The Minister added that interventions along the Ikorodu-Sagamu industrial corridor had addressed energy theft and revenue losses estimated at ₦120 billion annually.
Tegbe identified metering as a key component of efforts to improve market discipline and consumer confidence.
He said about 350,000 meters were installed in the first 100 days of his administration, bringing cumulative installations to 1,004,260 as of August 2026.
He also said the resolution of the AMMON litigation had cleared the way for the procurement of about 1.4 million smart meters, while metering of military formations had reached 90,000 installations.
To support further deployment, 5,000 young Nigerians are being trained as smart-meter installers under the Power Force programme.
Tegbe said the initiatives would help replace estimated billing with measured consumption while improving billing and revenue accountability.
The Minister also said the Federal Government had no immediate plan to increase electricity tariffs.
“Let me categorically state—and this is not a political statement—we have no plan to increase electricity tariffs,” he said.
Tegbe said the Ministry, in collaboration with relevant government agencies, had facilitated the release of more than 300 containers of critical power equipment held at the ports.
He said the equipment would be inspected, deployed and installed to support transmission infrastructure upgrades.
According to him, the release would help address the situation where power projects remained unfinished while essential equipment was stranded in storage.
Tegbe said the next phase of the reform programme would deepen grid stabilisation along the Lagos, Enugu-Port Harcourt and Abuja-Kaduna-Kano corridors.
He added that technical audits had commenced along the Lagos and Abuja corridors to identify weak points and guide investment.
The Minister said the Ministry would also continue work on the Transmission Super Grid, improve the utilisation of existing generation and distribution assets, and prepare infrastructure for future electricity demand.
“These first 100 days have laid the groundwork for sustained repair and stabilisation,” Tegbe said, pledging continued reporting against measurable indicators, including supply reliability, billing accuracy and the resolution of faults and complaints.
