The Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, has said that more than 40 percent of Nigerian electricity consumers now enjoy over 20 hours of regular supply daily.
Going by the last population census, which put the nation’s population at 200 million, the minister said more than 80 million citizens now get electricity for at least 20 hours every day.
He disclosed this in a statement on Sunday, during a review of the ministry’s achievements over the past year as part of the country’s Independence Day celebrations.
In the statement, the minister attributed the progress to several revolutionary measures implemented with the support of the federal government.
According to him, “The major achievement is the fact that today we generate over 5,500 megawatts of power, we transmit and distribute it, and over 40 percent of customers today enjoy over 20 hours of regular power supply across the nation.“
You can see there is a significant improvement between when we came in and now, which we intend to improve further.”
Adelabu said the ministry is striving to enhance this achievement by the end of the year, as reliable power supply is one of the key campaign promises of the president.
He stressed the critical role of stable electricity in developed nations, linking it to economic success.
Adelabu said, “This is why you see great economies like Korea, China, Europe, and North America industrialized today. Their stability in electricity supply has been instrumental to their economic growth and industrial development.
“That is why we say that we must achieve this for Nigeria as a country. We need to achieve the requisite economic growth and industrial development.”
Adelabu said the ministry’s vision is to provide reliable and affordable electricity to households, businesses, and institutions.
He said this would enable the country to achieve the desired economic growth and industrial development.
While reflecting on the ministry’s progress since the inception of the administration, the minister said the installed generation capacity has increased from 13,000 megawatts to over 14,000 megawatts.
He said this was made possible by the addition of new hydroelectric power plants and improvements in existing facilities.
Adelabu outlined several key reforms, including the signing of the new Electricity Act 2023, which decentralizes power generation, allowing subnational governments to participate in the electricity market.
The minister said the liberalization of the sector has paved the way for the private sector to also participate in the electricity supply industry.
