Electricity supply across Nigeria remains below expectations two weeks after the Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, assured citizens that outages would ease within that timeframe.
Although there have been slight improvements in some areas, national power generation has largely hovered between 3,000 and 4,000 megawatts, far from the over 5,000MW recorded in 2025. Many homes and businesses continue to experience prolonged blackouts, raising concerns about the feasibility of the minister’s earlier pledge.
The recent crisis has been linked primarily to gas shortages affecting thermal power plants, but industry operators say deeper structural issues within the electricity value chain are worsening the situation.
At a press briefing in Abuja two weeks ago, Adelabu apologised for the widespread outages, attributing the problem to factors beyond the government’s immediate control. He expressed confidence that ongoing repairs to gas pipelines and commitments from gas suppliers would result in noticeable improvement within a fortnight.
However, checks across the power sector show that the expected relief has not materialised for most consumers.
Data from the grid on Wednesday morning showed that the country’s 11 electricity distribution companies were struggling to distribute about 3,500MW nationwide. While this represents a marginal increase from the roughly 2,900MW shared at the peak of the crisis, many consumers say they have not felt any meaningful change in supply.
The Chief Executive Officer of the Association of Power Generation Companies, Joy Ogaji, explained that gas suppliers have demanded payment of outstanding debts before resuming full supply to generation companies. She added that load rejection by distribution companies is also contributing significantly to the low supply.
According to her, there were instances where system operators instructed generation companies to scale down output because distribution companies declined to take allocated electricity, resulting in frequency imbalances on the grid.
Ogaji revealed that in January, average generation stood at 4,541MW, yet about 2,985MW was stranded due to poor offtake. In February, out of 4,218MW generated, roughly 3,274MW was not picked by distributors.
She noted that Nigeria has 30 grid-connected power plants with an installed capacity of 15,500MW. Due to mounting debts, generation companies can only make about 7,000MW available, while the transmission and distribution network can absorb just around 4,000MW to 4,500MW.
Operators in the distribution segment, however, denied deliberately rejecting electricity. They argued that limitations within the transmission network often prevent power from reaching the locations where it is needed, forcing distributors to decline loads that cannot be efficiently delivered to customers.
This disagreement has drawn in the Transmission Company of Nigeria, which recently stated that it has expanded its verified wheeling capacity to 8,700MW through infrastructure upgrades, including new substations, transformers, and transmission line improvements.
The company dismissed claims by some distributors that the grid can only wheel around 7,300MW, describing such figures as outdated and inaccurate. It insisted that the amount of electricity transmitted daily depends largely on what distribution companies nominate and what generation companies declare they can produce.
Despite these exchanges among sector players, the impact on ordinary Nigerians remains the same: unreliable electricity supply and growing frustration over unmet promises.
As gas constraints persist and disputes continue between generation, transmission, and distribution operators, many consumers are left uncertain about when stable power will be restored, highlighting the need for better coordination across the electricity supply chain.
