Power Gains Still Not Reaching Many Homes, Tegbe Admits

By Olumide Johnson

Minister of Power, Mr. Joseph Tegbe, has acknowledged that many Nigerians are still without reliable electricity, despite measurable improvements in generation, transmission capacity and sector interventions during his first 100 days in office. The admission comes as the federal government says generation and transmission have exceeded 5,000MW in recent weeks.

DEVELOPMENT:

Tegbe said that the government spent much of his first three months diagnosing and repairing longstanding weaknesses across the power value chain, rather than promising an immediate transformation.

“We spent much of this period on diagnosis and repair; restoring the 375MW Alaoji plant after three years offline, unlocking transmission capacity in Lagos, Abuja and other places, mobilising funds toward a debt burden that has quietly undermined this sector for years,” he said.

The minister said about 350,000 meters had also been deployed following the resolution of a legal dispute affecting metering programmes.

But Tegbe acknowledged the gap between system-level improvements and consumers’ actual experience.

“Admittedly, many Nigerians are still without reliable power, and I understand the frustration of hearing about progress you haven’t personally felt yet. I’m not going to pretend that away,” he also said.

He also ruled out an immediate tariff increase: “To be clear: there’s no plan to raise tariffs, and this is no political statement.”

DATA:

Operational records show generation and transmission above 5,000MW in recent weeks, compared with about 3,700MW to 4,700MW before June. Generation reached a peak of 5,330MW in August and September.

The 375MW Alaoji plant was restored after three years offline, while transmission interventions unlocked 672MW in Lagos and another 240MW through a 300MVA transformer at Katampe, Abuja.

SIGNIFICANCE:

The numbers indicate that additional generation alone is not the measure of electricity-sector recovery. Power must travel through transmission and distribution networks and ultimately reach paying customers reliably.

For investors, the issue is therefore increasingly one of value-chain functionality, commercial discipline, metering, debt resolution and network reliability.

NEXT MOVE:

The critical indicators are sustained generation above 5,000MW, feeder-level reliability, transmission performance, metering growth, billing accuracy, sector debt reduction and the government’s ability to maintain supply without imposing an immediate tariff increase.

OUR LENS:

Tegbe’s admission is significant because it separates system recovery from consumer recovery.

“We’re not there yet, but we’re moving,” he said.

That difference should define the next phase of the power reform agenda. National generation records can improve while households and businesses continue to experience unreliable supply. The real test is whether infrastructure repairs, debt interventions and metering reforms eventually convert higher system capacity into dependable electricity at customer level.

Olumide Johnson is a journalist, reporting on energy, maritime, business, and developments shaping Nigeria’s economy.