— Blames gas supply disruptions, pipeline repairs for crippling outages
The Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, has tendered a public apology to Nigerians over the persistent nationwide blackouts that have thrown homes, businesses, schools, and industries into hardship over the past month.
The apology came during a press conference in Abuja on Tuesday, where the minister acknowledged the deepening frustration among citizens who have endured erratic power supply amid scorching dry-season temperatures that have drastically increased the demand for electricity for cooling.
In an unusually direct admission of the gravity of the situation, Adelabu said, “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.
“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 current setbacks, the minister sought to reassure Nigerians that relief is on the horizon, providing a definitive timeline for when normalcy would return.
“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 stated firmly.
According to him, the government has clear visibility on the completion of key repairs, particularly those involving facilities operated by Seplat Energy, a development expected to restore gas flow to power plants and stabilize electricity generation.
The minister also disclosed that a special committee has been constituted to monitor compliance with domestic gas supply obligations by producers—a longstanding issue frequently cited as a major constraint on electricity generation.
“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 explained, adding that improved payment flows to gas suppliers would further incentivize consistent supply.
Adelabu reiterated the Federal Government’s commitment to ramping up electricity generation to 6,000 megawatts before the end of 2026, describing the current disruption as a temporary deviation from a broader improvement trajectory.
“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.
He added that the government’s ambition extends beyond merely recovering lost ground. “If we could provide such service in 2025, this is 2026, we are willing to do more, to even do better,” Adelabu said.
Findings indicate that Nigeria’s power sector, which is heavily dependent on gas-fired plants, has been hit by significant disruptions in gas supply, compounded by pipeline maintenance challenges and lingering liquidity constraints.
Adelabu acknowledged these structural issues, noting that while some factors remain outside the government’s immediate control, efforts are ongoing to stabilize the system.
“We are working on it 24/7 to make sure that we go back to the trajectory of 2025, when Nigerians commended us for a good job well done,” he said.
Discussion about this post