Follow Us on Google
From Isaac Anumihe, Abuja
As the crisis in the Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry (NESI) appears intractable with mounting legacy debts, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has approved another ₦3.3 trillion to settle verified legacy debts owed to the generation companies.
The Minister of Power, Joseph Tegbe, who declared open the 6th Annual Conference of the Power Correspondents Association of Nigeria (PCAN) workshop in Abuja, also said that the government has raised N1.23 trillion under the plan, thereby easing the pressure on generators and improving their ability to pay for gas and maintain their plants.
The minister, who was represented by the Special Adviser to the Minister on Administration and Project, Mr Martins Olajide, noted that during the same period, over 2.8 million customers have been metered under the Presidential Metering Initiative (PMI) to bridge collection losses.
“The Rural Electrification Agency (REA) has connected universities, hospitals and rural communities to solar power. We have commenced the construction of a new ultramodern National Grid Control Centre in Osogbo to replace the old one, built over 60 years ago.
“Between 2023 and October 2026, additional transmission capacity in excess of 15,000MVA has been added to the national grid. In the past two months alone, I have commissioned newly installed substation equipment across Kumbotoso, Dankata, Mashi, Dan-Agundi, Apapa, Ijora, Ikeja, Biliri, Walalambe and other locations, adding over 1,300MVA to Nigeria’s transmission capacity,” he said.
According to him, the situation has unlocked more power to the respective distribution companies (DisCos) for onward distribution to industrial and household customers.
On vandalism, the minister emphasised that it remains a serious threat to the power sector, damaging critical infrastructure and disrupting electricity supply.
To this effect, he explained that the president has approved the implementation of a co-ordinated anti-vandalism campaign involving the relevant security agencies, backed by a strengthened legal framework to protect power assets, deter sabotage and hold offenders accountable.
While acknowledging the modest improvements and ongoing foundational efforts, he noted that the government has developed a four-pronged roadmap to address the power sector challenges comprehensively.
Other News
“These are grid stabilisation, sector liquidity and sustainability, asset optimisation, and expansion and enhancement of the grid.
“Central to this plan is a corridor approach that prioritises major load centres for reliable, round-the-clock electricity supply. A technical audit has been commissioned to establish a robust diagnostic baseline, identify critical constraints and guide the prioritisation, sequencing and execution of interventions,” the minister said.
The corridor approach, he said, gives the roadmap a practical industrial focus. The plan is to align generation, transmission reinforcement and distribution capacity with demand in major economic clusters, namely Lagos-Ogun, Benin-Enugu-Port Harcourt and Abuja-Kaduna-Kano energy zones/corridors.
The Lagos-Ogun axis and Abuja franchise area, the minister further noted, account for over 50 per cent of national demand and serve as the pilot for the proposed 24-hour energy zones, with implementation guided by technical readiness and commercial viability.
Welcoming the audience, the chairman of PCAN, Obas Esiedesa, lamented the serious decline in electricity generation in the last eight months, saying that reduced water inflows into hydroelectric power stations have compounded the issue.
“One critical issue that deserves urgent attention is the recurring seasonal decline in electricity generation, particularly between November and March. During this period, reduced water inflows into hydroelectric power stations often affect generation, while gas supply constraints to thermal power plants further compound the problem.
“This recurring challenge has continued to undermine efforts to achieve stable electricity supply. It is therefore important for the government, regulators, electricity generation companies and gas suppliers to strengthen collaboration and develop sustainable arrangements that will guarantee adequate gas feedstock for thermal power plants, especially during periods of reduced hydropower generation.
“We must also address the larger issues of inadequate transmission and distribution infrastructure, liquidity challenges, investment gaps, regulatory uncertainties and the need for improved efficiency across the electricity value chain,” he noted.
