Nigeria’s Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, has issued a public apology over weeks of widespread electricity outages, conceding that the disruption has intensified hardship for households, businesses and schools during the dry-season heat.
Speaking at a press conference on Tuesday in Abuja, the minister acknowledged growing public anger as soaring temperatures drive higher demand for cooling amid erratic supply.
In a rare admission of failure, Adelabu said the outages had affected “homes, businesses, schools and industries,” adding that while the situation was not intentional, several factors lay beyond the government’s immediate control.
He told reporters that relief should be visible within a fortnight, citing commitments from gas suppliers and a timetable for repairs to damaged pipelines. “Two weeks from now, we should start seeing improvements in supply,” he said.
According to Adelabu, the government has clarity on when key repairs, particularly to facilities operated by Seplat Energy, will be completed, a step expected to restore gas flows to power plants.
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He also disclosed the creation of a special committee to monitor gas producers’ compliance with domestic supply obligations, a long-standing constraint on electricity generation.
Improved payment flows to suppliers, he added, would further encourage delivery to the power sector.
Nigeria’s electricity system relies heavily on gas-fired plants and has been hit by supply disruptions, pipeline maintenance challenges and chronic liquidity pressures.
Adelabu said officials were working “24/7” to stabilise the system and return to the performance levels recorded in 2025.
The minister reiterated the Federal Government of Nigeria’s target to lift generation capacity to 6,000 megawatts before the end of 2026, describing the current setback as temporary and part of a broader plan to improve generation, transmission and distribution nationwide.