The Federal Government has paid ₦1.23 trillion of the ₦3.3 trillion approved for settling verified legacy debts owed to electricity generation companies, as part of efforts to address financial constraints in Nigeria’s power sector.
The Minister of Power, Joseph Olasunkanmi Tegbe, stated this at an interactive luncheon with senior editors in Lagos, where he also revealed that more than 2.8 million electricity customers had been metered between 2023 and October 2026 under the Presidential Metering Initiative.
Tegbe said the government was implementing coordinated interventions to address longstanding challenges across the electricity value chain, including gas supply constraints, ageing infrastructure, vandalism, transmission limitations, inadequate metering and commercial difficulties.
He noted that recently commissioned substations and equipment had added more than 1,300 megavolt-amperes (MVA) to national transmission capacity, with improvements covering locations including Apapa, Ijora, Ikeja, Kumbotoso, Dankata, Mashi, Dan-Agundi, Biliri and Walalambe.
The minister also said the government was building a new National Grid Control Centre in Osogbo to replace the existing facility, which is more than 60 years old, while pursuing plans to expand electricity generation capacity to 10,000 megawatts.
On the distribution of electricity to major economic centres, Tegbe outlined a corridor-based development strategy targeting the Lagos-Ogun, Benin-Enugu-Port Harcourt and Abuja-Kaduna-Kano corridors.
He said the Lagos-Ogun axis and Abuja franchise area, which together account for more than 50 per cent of national electricity demand, had been identified as proposed pilot locations for 24-hour energy zones, subject to technical readiness and commercial viability.
The initiative is intended to align generation, transmission and distribution capacity with electricity demand in major economic centres.
Tegbe also disclosed that the Federal Government had approved a coordinated anti-vandalism campaign involving relevant security agencies, alongside stronger legal measures to protect critical electricity infrastructure.
Acknowledging public frustration over unreliable electricity supply, the minister said the sector’s challenges required sustained reforms rather than isolated interventions or short-term solutions.
He called for stronger engagement with the media to improve public understanding of government interventions, electricity disruptions and the responsibilities of institutions across the power sector.
Tegbe said the Ministry would maintain open communication with the media, welcome constructive criticism and provide regular updates on reform implementation.
He added that the success of the reforms would ultimately be measured by improvements in electricity supply to homes, businesses and industries, rather than installed capacity or policy announcements alone.