Power Crisis: Adelabu Apologises to Nigerians, Promises Supply Boost Within Two Weeks

N Nigeria’s Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, has issued a public apology to Nigerians over the persistent electricity outages that have worsened living conditions across the country, particularly amid the intense dry-season heat.

Speaking at a press conference in Abuja on Tuesday, the minister acknowledged the widespread impact of the power disruptions on homes, businesses, schools, and industries, as frustration continues to mount nationwide.

In a rare and direct admission of the severity of the situation, Adelabu said: “I want to apologise to Nigerians, officially now, coming from me as the Minister of Power, for this temporary issue that is leading to hardship being experienced, especially during this dry season, where there is so much heat everywhere.”

He further highlighted the far-reaching consequences of the outages: “Businesses are being affected, schools have been affected, and industries have been affected. It is not our wish to find ourselves in this situation, but it is due to some factors that are actually beyond our control.”

Despite the ongoing crisis, the minister assured citizens that relief is imminent, projecting noticeable improvements in electricity supply within a short timeframe. “Two weeks from now, we should start seeing improvements in supply. Two weeks,” he stated.

Adelabu attributed the disruptions largely to challenges in gas supply, including pipeline maintenance issues and liquidity constraints affecting the power sector. He noted that repairs involving facilities operated by Seplat Energy are underway and expected to restore gas flow to power plants soon.

To address the recurring issues, the government has constituted a special committee to monitor compliance with domestic gas supply obligations by producers—an area long identified as a bottleneck in electricity generation.

“We already have a committee that is working on this to track compliance with the domestic supply obligations of these gas companies to our power plants,” he explained.

The minister added that efforts are ongoing around the clock to stabilise the system and return to improved performance levels recorded in 2025.

“We are working on it 24/7 to make sure that we go back to the trajectory of 2025, when Nigerians commended us for a good job well done,” he said.

Reaffirming the Federal Government’s long-term goals, Adelabu reiterated plans to ramp up electricity generation to 6,000 megawatts before the end of 2026.

“Power generation will improve, transmission will improve, distribution will improve, and that 6,000 megawatts will be achieved before the end of this year,” he assured.

Nigeria’s electricity sector continues to grapple with deep-rooted challenges, including inadequate gas supply, ageing infrastructure, transmission bottlenecks, and financial constraints—factors that have repeatedly hindered stable power delivery across the country.