Tegbe: 100 days of modest achievements lay foundation for power sector transformation

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The Minister of Power, Mr Joseph Olasunkanmi Tegbe, has described his first 100 days in office as a period of “diagnosis and stabilisation,” marked by modest but measurable progress towards rebuilding Nigeria’s electricity value chain.

Speaking at an Abuja Media Parley to mark the milestone, Tegbe said the administration had focused on repairing existing infrastructure, recovering stranded assets, restoring market discipline and strengthening governance, while acknowledging that many Nigerians still face unreliable electricity and the high cost of self-generation.

“When I say that there are improvements in certain places, I do not categorically deny the experiences of those that are yet to benefit,” the Minister said, stressing that the task ahead was to extend the gains to every community.

According to him, the Ministry’s approach has been anchored on three pillars: stabilising the electricity value chain, restoring market discipline and strengthening governance.

Among the achievements recorded during the first 100 days, Tegbe highlighted the restoration of the 375MW Alaoji open-cycle power plant to the national grid after three years offline.

He also said new transformers commissioned at Apapa, Ijora, Alausa and Lekki in Lagos unlocked 672MW of transmission capacity, while a new 300MVA transformer at Katampe, Abuja, unlocked an additional 240MW.

The Minister said operational records showed generation and transmission exceeding 5,000MW over recent weeks, compared with the 3,700MW–4,700MW range before June, with a generation peak of 5,330MW recorded during August and September.

He cautioned, however, that national generation peaks alone could not adequately represent the electricity experience of individual communities.

On access, Tegbe said 62 solar and mini-grid installations across 30 states had delivered about 43.6MW of installed solar capacity and 41,735 new connections, with an estimated reach of more than 208,000 people.

He also said the government launched the Renewable Asset Management Company (RAMCO) to professionally manage publicly financed renewable-energy assets and support their long-term sustainability.

On market discipline, the Minister said an estimated ₦1.23 trillion had been raised towards addressing the power-sector debt backlog, as part of a wider programme targeting the sector’s ₦3.3 trillion debt.

He added that the government installed about 350,000 meters in the first 100 days, while cumulative installations reached 1,004,260 as of August 2026.

Tegbe also stated categorically that the Federal Government had no plan to increase electricity tariffs.

The Minister said governance reforms would include greater transparency, clearer performance indicators and scorecards, publication of costs and operator performance, universal metering and stronger accountability across the value chain.

Looking ahead, he identified four priorities: deeper grid stabilisation along the Lagos, Enugu-Port Harcourt and Abuja-Kaduna-Kano corridors; development of the Transmission Super Grid; better utilisation of existing assets by linking supply to productive economic clusters; and preparation of infrastructure for future demand.

He said the Ministry would, over the next six months, focus on turning the repairs and reforms already undertaken into more visible improvements in supply reliability, billing accuracy and the resolution of faults and complaints.

“Our original commitment to visible, incremental improvements remains the benchmark,” Tegbe said.

He urged Nigerians to continue supporting the reform programme and called on communities to protect electricity infrastructure from vandalism and theft.

The Minister reiterated that the objective remained a reliable and sustainable electricity sector capable of supporting enterprise, strengthening the economy and improving the daily lives of Nigerians.