I apologize — Power minister begs Nigerians over outages

Nigeria’s Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, has apologised to Nigerians over the widespread power outages experienced across the country in recent weeks. Speaking during a press briefing in Abuja on Tuesday, the minister admitted that the persistent blackouts have made life more difficult for households, businesses, schools, and industries, especially during the intense dry-season heat.

According to Adelabu, the government is aware of the hardship the erratic electricity supply has caused. With temperatures rising across many parts of the country, demand for electricity has also increased, particularly as people rely more on cooling systems. He acknowledged the frustration Nigerians are currently facing and said the situation is not what the government wants.

The minister explained that the disruption in electricity supply is largely linked to challenges affecting gas supply to power plants. Nigeria’s power generation relies heavily on gas-fired plants, and recent issues involving gas pipelines and supply constraints have reduced the amount of electricity that can be generated and distributed.

However, Adelabu assured Nigerians that efforts are already underway to resolve the problem. He revealed that a committee has been set up to monitor gas supply to power plants and ensure that producers meet their domestic supply obligations. He also expressed optimism that repairs on affected gas pipelines, including facilities connected to energy company Seplat Energy, would soon be completed.

While apologising for the current challenges, the minister said the government expects electricity supply to begin improving within the next two weeks as repair works are concluded and gas supply stabilises. He added that the administration remains committed to strengthening Nigeria’s power sector and improving electricity delivery across the country.

Adelabu further reiterated the Federal Government’s broader target of increasing power generation capacity to about 6,000 megawatts before the end of 2026. According to him, the current difficulties are temporary, and the goal is not just to stabilise the system but to build on previous improvements and deliver better power supply to Nigerians.