40% of Nigerians Now Enjoying 20 Hours of Daily Electricity Supply, Says Minister of Power
The Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, has revealed that 40% of Nigerians now enjoy over 20 hours of electricity daily. Speaking through his media aide, Bolaji Tunji, on Sunday, the minister shared this update in a review of the Ministry of Power’s activities over the past year, coinciding with Nigeria’s 64th Independence anniversary.
According to Adelabu, these strides are part of the government’s ongoing effort to ensure stable electricity for both households and industries nationwide. He credited the achievement to key infrastructural upgrades and policy implementations aimed at improving the power sector.
One of the ministry’s major accomplishments is increasing power generation, which now exceeds 5,500 megawatts. Adelabu expressed optimism about further progress by the end of the year, noting that upon his resumption, Nigeria had an installed generation capacity of 13,000 megawatts but was only able to produce, transmit, and distribute around 4,000 megawatts. “This was quite low and unacceptable given our population and level of economic activities,” he said.
He further highlighted the unstable power supply that was prevalent at the time, with many customers—both residential and commercial—struggling to receive even 12 to 15 hours of electricity. Renewable energy adoption, particularly solar and wind sources, was also minimal.
Key infrastructural upgrades, such as the completion of the Zungeru hydroelectric power plant and the rollout of the Presidential Power Initiative, have been crucial to the improved electricity supply. The minister also emphasized the significance of the new Electricity Act signed in June 2023, which decentralized the power sector, allowing state governments and private entities to engage in electricity generation, transmission, and distribution.
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Adelabu noted that the Ministry’s efforts, alongside support from global partners such as the World Bank and the African Development Bank (AfDB), are expected to enhance the transparency and efficiency of billing systems across the country.
The Minister assured that the Ministry of Power remains committed to further improving Nigeria’s electricity supply in the coming months.
