The Federal Government has attributed recent electricity supply disruptions across five states to gas shortages, maintenance challenges and reduced hydropower generation, while announcing the release of 44 containers of abandoned electricity equipment from Apapa Port in Lagos.
Minister of Power, Joseph Tegbe, identified Lagos, Abuja, Ogun, Kwara and Oyo as areas affected by the decline in electricity supply. He said the disruptions followed a period of improved power delivery but were caused by operational difficulties across the electricity value chain.
According to the minister, inadequate gas supply to thermal power plants and reduced water levels in hydropower reservoirs have further limited electricity generation.
The development has heightened concerns among electricity consumers who have experienced fewer hours of power supply. Data from the Nigerian Independent System Operator also identified gas constraints and lower water inflows as major factors affecting electricity generation.
As of 4:41 pm on Thursday, November 5, the 11 electricity distribution companies received a combined allocation of 2,926 megawatts from the national grid.
Abuja Electricity Distribution Company received the largest share at 633MW, followed by Ibadan Disco with 391MW and Port Harcourt Disco with 320MW. Yola Disco received the lowest allocation at 74MW.
In a statement released through his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Adeola Adelabu, Tegbe said preliminary findings had ruled out a major national grid failure as the cause of the disruptions.
He added that the ministry was collaborating with the Transmission Company of Nigeria, NISO and distribution companies to address the challenges, speed up maintenance activities and improve electricity supply.
Meanwhile, the government has secured the release of 44 containers of electricity equipment that had been held at Apapa Port, as part of efforts to recover abandoned power infrastructure.
Tegbe said the intervention followed President Bola Tinubu’s directive at the last Federal Executive Council meeting, instructing the Ministry of Power to work with the Nigeria Customs Service and the Nigerian Ports Authority to resolve outstanding charges and facilitate the release of the equipment.
The containers were among more than 300 that had remained at the port, with some reportedly stranded since 2014.
The minister explained that technical experts would assess the recovered materials to determine their condition. Equipment considered suitable for use would be deployed to ongoing electricity projects, while unusable items would be properly disposed of.
The latest recovery follows an earlier intervention by the Niger Delta Power Holding Company, which retrieved 110 abandoned containers and 216 packages. The exercise reportedly saved more than N30bn and helped restore about 470MW of electricity generation capacity through recovered turbines.
Although the release of the 44 containers is expected to support ongoing power infrastructure projects, the government has yet to provide details of their contents, operational condition or when they will be deployed.
