The Minister of Power, Chief Adebayo Adelabu, has assured Nigerians that electricity supply across the country will begin to improve within the next two weeks.
Adelabu attributed the recent drop in power generation in the Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry (NESI) to a shortage of gas supply to thermal power plants.
Speaking during a press briefing in Abuja on Tuesday, the minister explained that the situation was largely influenced by rising international demand for Nigerian gas, particularly amid the ongoing crisis in the Middle East.
According to him, gas producers are increasingly prioritising export markets over the domestic power sector, largely because power sector operators owe gas suppliers huge debts.
Adelabu said the power sector currently owes about N6 trillion, with roughly 60 per cent of the debt owed to gas suppliers.
Because of the outstanding debts, he noted, gas vendors have scaled back supplies to power plants, which has negatively affected electricity generation in recent weeks.
When asked when Nigerians should expect relief, Adelabu said, “Two weeks from now, we should start seeing improvement in supply.”
The minister also addressed the controversy surrounding the actual amount owed to electricity generation companies (GenCos). He explained that although GenCos claim the debt has reached N6 trillion, ongoing reconciliation may bring the verified figure closer to about N4 trillion.
He recalled that as of the end of 2024, the debt was initially estimated at N4 trillion but was later audited to about N2.8 trillion after factoring in interest and other financial elements.
“I can tell you that the amount we owe GenCos, which is still being reconciled, was estimated at N4 trillion at the end of 2024. After auditing, it was agreed at about N2.8 trillion due to adjustments for interest and other elements,” he said.
Adelabu said discussions are ongoing with some generation companies to finalise the exact figure.
He added that stakeholders in the power sector recently met to explore ways of attracting private sector investment into the industry.
According to him, expanding Nigeria’s electricity generation capacity by an additional 20,000 megawatts would require investments of about $100 billion across the entire power value chain.
“Put together, we are talking of over $100 billion of investments in the upstream, midstream and downstream segments of the power sector value chain,” the minister said.
He stressed that such an amount could only be realised through a combination of public and private sector participation, noting that the investment would take time to materialise.
Adelabu also highlighted some achievements recorded in the sector under the current administration. He noted that Nigeria attained its highest available power generation of 6,001 megawatts in April 2025.
Similarly, the country recorded its highest energy transmission of 5,801 megawatts on March 2, 2025.
He said these milestones were made possible by the completion and integration of the 700MW Zungeru Hydropower Plant, rehabilitation of existing thermal power plants, and the expansion of renewable energy through mini-grid projects.
The minister noted that these developments have increased Nigeria’s installed generation capacity to about 14,400 megawatts within two years, from the 13,000 megawatts recorded in 2023.
According to him, while the current transmission capacity stands at about 8,500 megawatts, the government is working towards raising it to 15,000 megawatts.
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