Power Minister: Nigerians May Begin to Enjoy Stable Electricity in 3–5 Years

The Minister of Power, Joseph Tegbe, has projected that stable power supply could take another three to five years to become a reality. He apologised for the persistent outages, acknowledging the burden they continue to place on households, businesses and the country's workforce.

Speaking during an interview on Monday, the minister said he understood the frustration of Nigerians, particularly young people working remotely and businesses struggling to operate without consistent electricity. He assured citizens that the government was committed to addressing the problems affecting the sector, saying, “What I have to say is that I feel your pain. And I’ll honestly tell you I’m totally committed to fixing these electricity assets, working with Mr President. Mr President is 100 percent committed to fixing this.”

Asked when Nigerians could begin to enjoy a more reliable electricity supply, Tegbe said the country needed substantial improvements in generation capacity, transmission infrastructure and private-sector investment. “Three to five years from now, Nigerians will start to experience stability,” he said, explaining that the scale of infrastructure required made an immediate turnaround unrealistic.

Outlining the government's plans, Tegbe identified the proposed East-West Super Grid as a major intervention in addressing the country's electricity challenges. He disclosed that the project would cost approximately $2 billion and have the capacity to accommodate at least 19,000 megawatts of electricity. He also pointed to increased investment in power infrastructure and greater private-sector participation in electricity distribution and transmission as critical to the sector's recovery.

On the recent electricity shortages, the minister dismissed suggestions that they resulted from a national grid collapse, attributing the reduced supply to planned maintenance at Egbin Power Station and the vandalisation of the Benin-Egbin 330kV transmission line. He confirmed that the affected line had been restored, while efforts were ongoing to repair the Oshogbo-Ikeja West transmission line, which has been out of service for approximately 18 months after six transmission towers were vandalised.

Tegbe said the government was also working to restore the performance of existing electricity assets and address infrastructure gaps across the entire power value chain. He maintained that expanding generation alone would not resolve the country's electricity problems without corresponding improvements in transmission and distribution capacity.

The minister urged Nigerians to exercise patience as the government pursued its reform plans, reiterating its determination to deliver lasting improvements to electricity supply. However, his three-to-five-year projection means households and businesses may have to contend with the country's persistent power challenges for several more years before meaningful stability is achieved.