SNOW TV NEWS DESK
The Federal Government has assured Nigerians that electricity supply will begin to improve within the next 48 to 72 hours as efforts intensify to address the challenges responsible for the recent nationwide power disruptions.
The Minister of Power, Joseph Tegbe, gave the assurance on Friday, acknowledging the difficulties households and businesses have faced, particularly in Lagos, Ogun, and the Federal Capital Territory.
In a statement titled ‘Update on Power Situation’ shared on his Facebook page, Tegbe explained that the current electricity shortage was largely linked to planned maintenance at Egbin Power Station in Lagos, one of Nigeria’s largest thermal power plants, which contributes approximately 16 per cent of electricity generated for the national grid.
He also identified inadequate gas supply to some thermal power stations as another major factor behind the decline in electricity generation.
According to the minister, these challenges have forced grid operators to introduce load shedding in certain areas to manage the limited electricity available for distribution.
Tegbe further disclosed that the sabotage of critical transmission lines had weakened the ability of operators to use alternative routes to supply electricity to affected locations, particularly Lagos.
Acknowledging the frustration caused by the prolonged outages, the minister said his team was working with relevant power sector operators to restore affected generating units in phases, improve gas supply, and speed up repairs to damaged infrastructure.
He expressed optimism that the first generating units would return to operation within the next 48 to 72 hours, potentially easing the pressure on electricity consumers.
Meanwhile, the worsening power situation has triggered a disagreement between the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) and Ikeja Electric over the actual causes of recent blackouts recorded on November 3 and 4.
TCN rejected Ikeja Electric’s explanation that grid instability was responsible for the interruptions, insisting that inadequate gas supply to thermal plants and reduced hydroelectric generation had significantly affected electricity available for distribution.
The transmission company maintained that it could only transmit electricity generated by power stations and could not be held responsible for energy shortages resulting from inadequate generation.
TCN further attributed 68 per cent of interruptions on feeders supplying Ikeja Electric to load shedding caused by low power generation. It blamed another 26 percent on alleged non-compliance with load allocations, distribution network faults, and maintenance, while the remaining six percent was linked to planned transmission maintenance and operational limitations.
The disagreement followed Ikeja Electric’s apology to customers on some Band A feeders after failing to meet the minimum daily electricity supply requirement of 20 hours on November 3 and 4.
With households and businesses increasingly relying on alternative power sources to cope with the outages, attention is now on whether the federal government’s promised intervention will translate into noticeable improvements within the announced timeframe.
“Sir Bartholomew White Ebe is a Lagos-based media personality, Music Artist, Producer, and a Relationship Coach and independent journalist. With over seven years of experience tracking political developments and cultural shifts in Nigeria, he specializes in local current affairs, grassroots politics, and community-driven reporting across Lagos State. As the founder and chief editor of Snow Multimedia Connect {SNOW TV}, he leads the editorial team to deliver verified, high-impact stories to digital audiences.”
Email: snowmediaconnect@gmail.com
