By Eshioromeh Sebastian
The Federal Government has approved the start of procurement for two major transmission projects, the East and West Super Grids, in a bid to lift Nigeria’s wheeling capacity from roughly 5,000 megawatts to 19,000MW within two years.
Minister of Power Joseph Tegbe announced the approval on Wednesday while briefing State House correspondents after the Federal Executive Council meeting chaired by President Bola Tinubu in Abuja.
The decision addresses a long standing imbalance in the sector: while the country can generate over 13,000MW, its transmission network can only reliably carry about 5,000MW, leaving much of that generation stranded.
Tegbe said the two grids are national in scope rather than regional, running across the north and south to reinforce the infrastructure that moves power from generation points to consumers.
“The East and West Super Grids are not projects for one part of the country,” he said. “They cut across the north and south of Nigeria, strengthening the backbone that must carry power from where it is generated to where it is needed.”
According to the minister, the corridors will reinforce transmission links stretching from Sokoto through Abuja into parts of southern Nigeria, improving resilience and reducing instability.
“The target is simple,” he said. “We want a grid that can evacuate the power we already have, not one that leaves generation stranded while consumers remain in darkness.”
Three Immediate Fixes for Abuja, Lagos
Alongside the super grids, the council approved three nearer term interventions targeting Abuja and Lagos, the country’s two biggest demand centres.
The first is a 33kV double circuit line, both underground and overhead, tied to the Katampe Transmission Substation, a key hub for the North Central region.
The second involves the design, manufacture and supply of three 300MVA, 330/132/33kV transformers for the Ikeja West Transmission Substation, which feeds Lagos.
The third is the reconstruction of the 35.6 kilometre Itumola Mapasin Shagamu 132kV single circuit line into a double circuit line to meet growing demand along the Lagos Shagamu axis.
“These are not glamorous projects, but they are the projects that determine whether power actually gets to the consumer,” Tegbe said.
He noted that the large transformers would be sourced abroad, as Nigeria lacks the domestic capacity for equipment of that scale. Local firms have begun assembling smaller units, he said, but the high capacity models require specialised production and take three to six months, with global demand rising on the back of AI and data centre expansion.
Audit to Guide Spending
The ministry has also launched a four week nationwide technical audit of electricity infrastructure, splitting the country into three energy zones: Lagos and its industrial belt, Abuja Kaduna Kano, and Enugu Onitsha Benin.
The audit is meant to pinpoint ageing and weak assets in need of replacement or rehabilitation.
“We will no longer spend money on the wrong projects,” Tegbe said. “The audit will show us exactly where the system is failing and where investment will deliver measurable impact.”
Priority corridors include Lagos Ogun, Benin Edo Port Harcourt and Abuja Kaduna Kano, with Lagos Ogun alone accounting for about half of national energy demand.
N1.23trn Paid to Gas Suppliers, Others
On liquidity, Tegbe said the government had cleared N1.23 trillion of the N3.3 trillion owed to gas suppliers and other stakeholders in the power value chain.
The unpaid balance, he said, had been constraining gas supply to generation companies and undermining confidence across the sector.
“We have paid N1.23 trillion, and we intend to finish the job,” he said. “But we must also stop new debts from accumulating.”
The payments were made through bonds under the Presidential Power Sector Debt Reduction Programme, aimed at easing liquidity for generators, supporting gas supply and restoring investor confidence. The government is also reviewing the market structure to enforce payment discipline and prevent fresh arrears.
300 Stranded Containers to Be Cleared
President Tinubu has directed the Ministry of Power, the Nigerian Ports Authority and the Nigeria Customs Service to clear more than 300 containers of electricity equipment stuck at the ports, some for as long as 14 to 20 years.
“It is unacceptable that equipment meant to strengthen the grid has been sitting at the ports for years,” Tegbe said. “The President has directed that this must be resolved.”
He blamed the backlog on unpaid charges and incomplete clearance processes inherited from past administrations. Once released, experts will assess what can still be used, while obsolete items will be disposed of properly.
New Control Centre, Solar Mini Grids
The government has begun building a new National Control Centre in Osogbo to replace the existing one, which Tegbe said dates back 64 years.
“The new control centre will give us modern tools to monitor and manage the national grid,” he said.
Completed substations in Kano, Katsina, Bauchi and Gombe are also being energised to bring idle capacity into use.
In parallel, solar mini grids are being rolled out for institutions hampered by transmission constraints. Fourteen federal universities have received energised mini grids of 1MW to 5MW, with 11 more being supported through TETFund, while five teaching hospitals are benefiting from installations done with the Federal Ministry of Health.
Tegbe said the administration would keep its focus on grid stability, infrastructure rehabilitation, liquidity and renewable investment.
“Our goal is not just to announce projects,” he said. “It is to build a power system that Nigerians can depend on.”
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