Nigeria’s newly appointed minister of power, Joseph Tegbe, has vowed that electricity supply across the country will witness notable improvement, but expressed reservations on the prospects of Nigerians getting immediate access to round-the-clock electricity.
The minister made the disclosure on Monday after his swearing-in ceremony in Abuja, expressing confidence that ongoing reforms in the sector will soon yield desired results.
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“I am not promising a magic wand. I am not promising twenty-four hours, seven days a week power. We will get there ultimately,” the minister said.
“What I promise Nigerians is that we will see visible improvements,” he stated, adding that feedbacks received over the last four weeks suggested electricity supply has improved in several parts of the country.
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Mr Tegbe’s appointment followed the resignation of Adebayo Adelabu, who quit the role to pursue his political ambitions. Also on Monday, Sola Enikanolaiye was sworn in as the minister of foreign affairs to replace Yusuf Tugar, who gave up the position recently also on the same grounds.
Despite enormous investments in generation infrastructure over the years, low plant availability, gas supply constraints, maintenance challenges, transmission hitches and ageing grid infrastructure continue to limit effective electricity delivery across Nigeria.
Chronic supply shortfall has forced many homes and businesses to resort to expensive solar systems and generating sets as alternatives.
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Spikes in the cost of fuel in recent months, following the reverberations of the US-Israel war against Iran has further driven up energy costs, making such alternatives almost unaffordable for Nigerians, already grappling with a major cost-of-living crisis.
President Bola Tinubu described Mr Tegbe, who was born in Ibadan, Oyo State, as a renowned fiscal, economic and institutional reform strategist and stakeholder engagement expert with over 35 years of professional experience across both the public and the private sectors.
Recent interventions
Mr Tegbe acknowledged the perennial challenges confronting the power sector, but noted that recent interventions by the current administration are beginning to bear results.
According to him, the Tinubu administration has invested significantly in the sector over the past three years, with plans underway to commission more projects, while ensuring that vulnerable Nigerians benefit from improved electricity supply.
The minister attributed the reported improvements to increased government support, the commitment of workers in the power sector and engagement with critical stakeholders.
READ ALSO: Residents of Lagos community protest 18 months without electricity
He said that since his confirmation by the Senate, he has met key agencies, including the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN), the Rural Electrification Agency (REA), the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC), and officials in the Federal Ministry of Power.
“They have given commitments and that is what you are seeing today with the improvements,” he remarked.
“There are peculiarities in the sector and we are going to fix these peculiarities,” he added.
Citing recent examples of intervention efforts, the minister disclosed that power was restored to affected parts of Katampe, a district in Abuja, within 24 hours after a recent feeder station failure, thanks to the efforts of workers in the sector.
He also referenced operational improvements at the Niger Delta Power Holding Company, describing them as evidence of renewed commitment within the sector.
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