Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, has apologised to Nigerians over the outage affecting homes, businesses, schools, and industries across the country.
Speaking at a press conference in Abuja on Tuesday, Adelabu described the disruption as a temporary challenge caused by factors beyond the ministry’s control.
“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.
“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.”
Despite the disruptions, Adelabu assured citizens that the situation would soon improve, offering a clear timeline for restoration of better 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,” Adelabu said.
He explained that authorities already have projections for the completion of critical repairs, including those involving facilities operated by Seplat Energy, which are expected to restore gas supply to electricity-generating plants.
According to the minister, a dedicated committee has been set up to ensure gas producers meet their domestic supply commitments—an issue that has long limited power generation in the country.
“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 improved payment structures would also encourage suppliers to deliver more gas.
The minister reiterated the federal government’s commitment to increasing electricity generation to 6,000 megawatts by the end of 2026.
He described the current disruption as a temporary deviation from broader improvement plans, emphasising that power generation, transmission, and distribution will improve.
“We are working 24/7 to return to the trajectory of 2025, when Nigerians commended us for a job well done. Our goal is not just to recover lost ground but to surpass previous performance levels,” Adelabu said, assuring citizens that the planned improvements will benefit the nation significantly.
He urged Nigerians to remain patient while the ministry implements measures to stabilise electricity supply and enhance the reliability of the power sector nationwide.
“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,” he assured.
Adelabu added that the government aims not only to recover lost ground but to exceed previous performance levels.
“If we could provide such service in 2025, this is 2026, we are willing to do more, to even do better,” Adelabu said.
