NIGERIANS MAY SEE MORE ELECTRICITY WITHIN 72 HOURS AS TEGBE PROMISES RETURN OF GENERATING UNITS

ABUJA, November 7, 2026 Nigerians experiencing prolonged electricity outages may begin to see an improvement in power supply within the next 48 to 72 hours, following an assurance by Minister of Power Joseph Tegbe that the Federal Government is working to restore affected generating units and address the operational problems responsible for the latest disruption across parts of the country.

Tegbe gave the assurance in a statement titled “Update on Power Situation,” published on his Facebook page on Friday, November 6, acknowledging the hardship caused by the reduced electricity supply to households and businesses in several states, including Lagos and the Federal Capital Territory. He said the first affected generating units were expected to return to service within the stated period, while additional efforts were underway to improve gas availability and repair damaged electricity infrastructure.

The minister attributed the decline in electricity supply primarily to scheduled maintenance at Egbin Power Station in Lagos, which he said contributes approximately 16 percent of the electricity available on Nigeria’s national grid, as well as gas supply constraints affecting some thermal power plants. The combination of the two problems has reduced the amount of electricity available for distribution, forcing grid operators to introduce load shedding in some areas to manage the shortfall.

“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,” Tegbe said, acknowledging the impact of the disruption on consumers who have experienced fewer hours of electricity in recent days.

He explained that the maintenance work at Egbin had reduced the station’s contribution to the national grid at a time when other generating facilities were also experiencing difficulties obtaining sufficient gas to operate at available capacity. Egbin is one of Nigeria’s major thermal power stations, and any substantial reduction in its output can affect the volume of electricity available to the national system, particularly when other plants are unable to compensate for the shortfall.

Tegbe said the Federal Government was working with relevant power sector operators to restore the affected generating units in phases, rather than waiting for all outstanding operational issues to be resolved before bringing any capacity back online. He said the first units were expected to return within 48 to 72 hours, although he did not specify the individual generating units involved, their expected output or the total amount of electricity that would be restored during that period.

“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,” the minister said. He added that discussions with operators were ongoing to improve gas supply to thermal stations and accelerate repairs to damaged infrastructure.

The minister also identified the sabotage of critical transmission lines as another factor affecting electricity delivery, saying the damage had restricted alternative routes for transmitting available power to some locations, particularly Lagos. Transmission infrastructure carries electricity from generating stations to distribution networks, and damage to important lines can limit the ability of system operators to redirect supply when other routes become unavailable.

His comments indicate that the current disruption involves more than the temporary reduction in output from Egbin Power Station. Even where generating plants are able to produce electricity, constraints involving gas availability, transmission infrastructure and distribution networks can affect how much power ultimately reaches consumers. The restoration of generating units may therefore improve the available supply without automatically resolving every problem affecting individual communities.

The Nigerian Independent System Operator, which coordinates the operation of the national electricity grid, separately attributed the recent decline in generation to inadequate gas supply to thermal power stations and reduced output from hydroelectric plants. In a statement issued on November 5, NISO said limited gas availability had prevented affected thermal facilities from operating at their available capacity, while lower water inflows into reservoirs had reduced the generation capacity of hydroelectric stations.

According to the system operator, the resulting decline in available generation reduced the amount of electricity allocated to distribution companies, leading to fewer hours of supply and increased load shedding across their networks. It said the extent of the impact varied among distribution companies depending on the amount of electricity available and the allocations received by each operator.

The explanation is significant because Nigeria depends heavily on gas-fired thermal power stations to generate electricity, while hydroelectric facilities provide another important source of supply. When gas deliveries to thermal plants become constrained at the same time that hydroelectric output declines, the national grid has less capacity available to meet demand. Distribution companies then receive reduced allocations, leaving households and businesses with longer periods without electricity.

The Federal Ministry of Power had also acknowledged the disruption in a statement issued earlier in the week, identifying affected areas including Lagos, Abuja, Ogun, Kwara and Oyo states. The ministry said preliminary assessments did not indicate a major or systemic failure of the national grid but pointed instead to maintenance and operational challenges across parts of the electricity supply chain, alongside gas shortages and reduced hydroelectric output.

The latest outages have also triggered a public disagreement between the Transmission Company of Nigeria and Ikeja Electric over the causes of supply interruptions affecting customers in parts of Lagos. Ikeja Electric had attributed several outages recorded on November 3 and 4 on some Band A feeders to grid instability, identifying the transmission network as responsible for the disruption.

TCN rejected that explanation in a statement issued on Friday, describing the attribution as inaccurate and misleading. The transmission company argued that the Nigerian Independent System Operator had not identified a failure of its network as the cause of the interruptions and maintained that the main problem was reduced electricity generation resulting from gas supply constraints and lower hydroelectric output.

TCN said its records showed that 68 percent of interruptions recorded on feeders supplying Ikeja Electric on November 1 and 2 resulted from frequency-control load shedding caused by low generation. It attributed another 26 percent to Ikeja Electric’s alleged failure to comply with electricity allocations issued by NISO’s National Control Centre, as well as faults and maintenance work on the distribution company’s own network. The remaining six percent, according to TCN, resulted from its planned maintenance, switching operations or line limitations.

The transmission company also disputed Ikeja Electric’s account of interruptions affecting 33-kilovolt feeders, saying 29 of 46 recorded interruptions were caused by load shedding arising from low generation, while 14 were attributed to issues involving Ikeja Electric’s network or compliance with allocated supply. TCN said the remaining three were linked to scheduled maintenance on the Ogba-Alimosho line.

The figures represent TCN’s account of the interruptions and do not, by themselves, resolve the wider disagreement between the two companies. The records cited by TCN covered November 1 and 2, while Ikeja Electric’s public notice concerned outages on November 3 and 4, a difference in dates that is relevant when assessing the competing explanations. TCN nevertheless insisted that distribution companies should rely on verified information from NISO when communicating the causes of supply disruptions to customers.

The dispute has added to frustration among electricity consumers who have been unable to obtain consistent explanations for the prolonged outages. In some communities, residents have complained about extended periods without electricity, while businesses that depend on stable power have had to rely more heavily on generators and other alternative sources. The situation has also intensified concerns among households facing higher operating costs from fuel purchases, particularly as the outages have coincided with hot weather in parts of the country.

For customers on Band A feeders, the disruption has particular implications because the tariff classification is associated with a minimum daily electricity supply commitment of 20 hours. Ikeja Electric had apologised to customers on some affected Band A feeders after failing to meet that requirement on November 3 and 4. The latest developments have therefore raised questions about how electricity distribution companies will manage supply obligations when the amount of power allocated to them falls below the level needed to meet the prescribed service expectations.

The Federal Government’s immediate challenge is to increase available generation while ensuring that electricity can be transmitted and distributed effectively. Restoring generating units at Egbin and other affected facilities could provide additional electricity to the grid, but the benefits will depend on whether gas supply improves, transmission constraints are addressed and distribution companies receive sufficient allocations to increase supply to their customers.

Tegbe thanked affected consumers for their patience and said further updates would be provided as restoration work progressed. However, his statement did not provide a comprehensive timetable for the return of all affected generating units, the full restoration of damaged transmission infrastructure or the resumption of normal supply across every affected state. The 48-to-72-hour assurance relates specifically to the first units returning to service, not a promise that every household and business will have uninterrupted electricity within three days.

The minister’s announcement will therefore be judged by the actual improvement consumers experience in the coming days, including whether electricity distribution companies receive larger allocations and are able to increase supply hours across their networks. For residents and businesses in Lagos, Ogun, Abuja and other affected areas, the immediate expectation is that the return of generating capacity will translate into more reliable electricity after days of disruption.

The wider challenge remains the vulnerability of Nigeria’s electricity supply to shortages of gas, reduced hydroelectric output, maintenance requirements and weaknesses across transmission and distribution infrastructure. Until those constraints are addressed more consistently, the return of individual generating units may provide temporary relief without eliminating the recurring problems that leave consumers exposed to prolonged blackouts. Tegbe has promised further updates as the Federal Government works with sector operators, but the extent of the improvement will become clearer only when the affected units return to service and electricity supply begins to recover.