The Minister of Power, Joseph Tegbe, has assured Nigerians that electricity supply will begin to improve within the next 48 to 72 hours as the Federal Government moves to tackle the challenges behind recent blackouts.
In a statement titled ‘Update on Power Situation’ shared on his Facebook page on Friday, Tegbe blamed the decline in electricity supply on scheduled maintenance at Egbin Power Station in Lagos, which contributes approximately 16 per cent of the electricity on the national grid, alongside gas shortages affecting some thermal power plants.
“I am aware of the strain that the current outages have placed on households and businesses in four affected states, including Lagos and the Federal Capital Territory,” he said.
He explained that the reduced generation had forced grid operators to ration available electricity through load shedding in affected areas.
The minister also identified the sabotage of critical transmission lines as another challenge, noting that it had limited alternative routes for delivering electricity, particularly to Lagos.
According to him, efforts are underway to restore affected generating units gradually, improve gas supply and speed up repairs to damaged infrastructure.
“My team and I are working to return the affected generating units to service in phases, with the first units coming back online within the next 48 to 72 hours,” he stated.
His assurance comes amid mounting complaints from residents of Lagos and Ogun over prolonged power outages, which have made the hot weather increasingly difficult to endure.
