Power Minister Exposes Reasons Behind Tinubu Govt’s Struggles To Deliver 6,000 MW Of Electricity

The Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, has attributed the failure of President Bola Tinubu’s administration to meet its goal of generating 6,000 megawatts of electricity by December 2024 to the actions of vandals. Despite this setback, he emphasized that significant progress has been made in enhancing electricity supply to Nigerians.

Adelabu, through his Special Adviser on Strategic Communication and Media Relations, Bolaji Tunji, revealed that approximately 1,000 megawatts had been added to the national grid since the current administration took office. He assured that the goal of reaching 6,000 MW remains a priority, with plans for power generation upgrades still on track.

Currently, Nigeria’s power generation ranges between 4,000 MW and 4,900 MW from 19 power plants. Tunji shared in an interview with Punch that when the administration took office, generation was around 4,000 MW, but within a year, it had increased by 1,000 MW. By November 27, the target reached 5,231 MW. Despite the promise of 6,000 MW, vandals have hindered progress, but efforts to increase supply continue.

Tunji also pointed to the challenge of funding subsidy payments as a major issue, with only N450bn allocated for the current year’s subsidy, while the debt for subsidy payments has reached N2.3tn. He further highlighted the vulnerability of the transmission grid due to ongoing vandalism.

The Minister’s spokesperson affirmed the government’s commitment to improving power generation in 2025, stressing the importance of a favorable environment for private sector participation. The government plans to allocate more funds for subsidies, ensure timely payments, and invest in the revitalization of aging power infrastructure. The Ministry of Power is also working on increasing budget allocations to ensure infrastructure development continues to meet growing demand.