The Federal Government has approved plans to develop new Eastern and Western electricity grids as part of efforts to address Nigeria’s recurring power grid collapses.

The Minister of Power, Joseph Tegbe, disclosed this at a recent HBSAN energy conference in Lagos, saying the government was preparing to begin procurement for the projects.

Tegbe said Nigerians could begin to see the benefits of the proposed infrastructure within two to three years.

He explained that the government had divided the country into three energy zones to prioritise interventions, with the Lagos and Abuja corridors accounting for a significant share of electricity demand.

“If you fix Lagos and you fix the Abuja corridors, you’ve solved more than half of the problem of Nigeria,” the minister said.

He added that improving operational efficiency alone would not resolve the challenges facing the electricity sector without expanding and strengthening the transmission grid.

FG Begins Nationwide Electricity Infrastructure Audit

Tegbe said the government had commenced a technical audit of electricity infrastructure nationwide to identify faults and determine which facilities required urgent repairs or replacement.

According to him, the exercise would help authorities direct resources towards the actual causes of transmission problems instead of investing in equipment that did not address the underlying faults.

He said the audit would examine specific weaknesses involving transformers, conductors, relays, insulators and transmission towers.

“I don’t want to fix transformer issues where I have conductor and relay problems. I don’t want to fix insulators where the challenges I actually have are towers,” he said.

The minister added that the audit was expected to be completed within a few weeks, after which the government would prioritise interventions based on the findings.

Ageing Infrastructure Behind Transmission Challenges

Tegbe attributed some of the challenges facing Nigeria’s transmission network to ageing infrastructure, noting that certain facilities had been in service for decades.

He said some transmission towers and lines dated back to the period when the Electricity Corporation of Nigeria (ECN) operated before the National Electric Power Authority (NEPA).

“This government has inherited a problem of 50 years,” he said, describing the condition of some facilities he had inspected.

The minister recalled seeing transmission infrastructure bearing the ECN logo, which he said illustrated the age of some equipment still in use.

He maintained that the proposed grid expansion, combined with the technical audit and targeted repairs, would help address longstanding weaknesses in the country’s electricity transmission system.

However, the government has yet to provide a detailed implementation schedule for the new grids beyond the anticipated two-to-three-year period for Nigerians to begin seeing benefits.

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Power Minister Joseph Tegbe says the government is prioritising sector liquidity, metering and infrastructure upgrades instead of increasing tariffs.

The Federal Government has ruled out an immediate increase in electricity tariffs, saying its current priority is to stabilise the power sector and address the financial challenges affecting electricity generation, transmission and distribution.

Minister of Power Joseph Tegbe disclosed this on Monday, September 21, 2026, during a media briefing in Abuja to mark his first 100 days in office.

Tegbe said the government had raised an estimated ₦1.23 trillion towards addressing part of the power sector’s accumulated debt, which he put at about ₦3.3 trillion. He said the financing was expected to improve liquidity across the electricity value chain. 

The minister’s statement comes amid renewed concerns about the financial sustainability of Nigeria’s electricity market and reports suggesting that consumers could face another tariff increase.

“We have no plan to increase electricity tariffs. There is no immediate plan by this government to increase tariff. It is not on our table; it is not on our agenda,” Tegbe said. 

Government Focuses on Sector Stabilisation

Tegbe said the government had spent his first 100 days conducting a diagnosis of the electricity value chain rather than relying solely on additional generation projects.

According to him, the assessment identified problems affecting gas supply, generation, transmission and distribution.

He said damaged gas pipelines and commercial conditions had constrained gas supplies to power plants, while Nigeria’s generation fleet remained heavily dependent on ageing thermal facilities.

The minister also identified deferred maintenance and stalled projects as factors limiting the ability of existing generating plants to deliver their available capacity.

At the distribution level, Tegbe said aggregate technical, commercial and collection losses remained between 30 and 40 per cent.

He added that generation companies were receiving payment for only about 27 per cent of their bills, affecting their ability to maintain facilities and pay gas suppliers.

Tegbe described the problems across the electricity market as interconnected, arguing that weaknesses in one part of the value chain could worsen challenges elsewhere.

Unpaid bills, for instance, affect the ability of operators to maintain infrastructure and meet gas obligations, while unreliable electricity supply can reduce collections from customers. 

Power Generation Rises Above 5,000MW

The minister said electricity generation and transmission had remained above 5,000 megawatts in recent weeks, compared with between 3,700MW and 4,700MW before June 2026.

He said the sector recorded a generation peak of 5,330MW during August and September.

However, Tegbe acknowledged that higher national generation figures do not automatically mean reliable electricity for every community.

“National progress can coexist with an unreliable feeder in a particular community,” he said, adding that the government recognised that some consumers had yet to experience the reported improvements. 

The minister said the government’s next challenge would be to translate the gains recorded at the national level into more dependable electricity supply for individual customers.

Alaoji Plant Returns to National Grid

Tegbe said the government had restored the 375MW Alaoji open-cycle power plant to the national grid after it remained offline for three years.

He also disclosed that new transformers commissioned at Apapa, Ijora, Alausa and Lekki in Lagos had unlocked 672MW of transmission capacity.

A new 300MVA transformer energised at Katampe, Abuja, also unlocked an additional 240MW of transmission capacity, according to the minister. 

The interventions are part of efforts to recover existing capacity and strengthen the transmission network instead of depending only on the construction of new power plants.

Tegbe said the government would focus on improving the performance of existing infrastructure while addressing weaknesses that prevent available electricity from reaching consumers.

Government Expands Metering Programme

Metering is another major area of the government’s electricity reform programme.

Tegbe disclosed that approximately 350,000 electricity meters were installed during his first 100 days in office.

The installations brought cumulative meter deployment to 1,004,260 as of August 2026.

The minister said the resolution of litigation involving the AMMON metering programme had also unlocked the procurement of about 1.4 million smart meters across affected programmes. 

He added that about 90,000 meters had been installed in military formations.

Another 5,000 young Nigerians are undergoing training as smart-meter installers under the Power Force programme.

The expansion of metering is aimed at improving billing accuracy and reducing reliance on estimated billing, which remains a major source of complaints among electricity consumers.

FG Moves Against Revenue Losses

Tegbe also disclosed that the government had blocked revenue leakages associated with energy theft and other losses along the Ikorodu-Sagamu corridor.

According to him, the losses had been estimated at approximately ₦120 billion annually.

He said improving billing, collection and remittance would help preserve resources needed to maintain and improve electricity supply.

The minister said tackling revenue leakage was necessary because additional generation alone would not resolve the financial problems affecting the electricity market.

The government is therefore combining infrastructure interventions with measures designed to strengthen revenue collection and improve payment discipline across the value chain. 

Transmission Corridors Targeted for Upgrade

Tegbe said the next phase of the government’s electricity reforms would focus on stabilising major transmission corridors.

The priority corridors include Lagos, Enugu-Port Harcourt and Abuja-Kaduna-Kano.

The government also plans to begin work towards a Transmission Super Grid designed to strengthen the movement of electricity across the national network.

Technical audits have commenced along the Lagos and Abuja corridors to identify weaknesses and determine where interventions could have the greatest effect.

The minister said the government would measure progress over the next six months using indicators including supply reliability, billing accuracy and the speed at which faults and complaints are resolved. 

Tariff Decision Comes Amid Wider Power Reforms

The decision not to immediately increase electricity tariffs comes as the government works to address the structural and financial problems within the sector.

Tegbe has previously said the administration intends to phase out electricity subsidies as part of efforts to make the sector financially sustainable, while distinguishing that longer-term reform from an immediate tariff increase. 

For now, the minister’s latest position is that consumers should not expect an immediate tariff increase.

Instead, the government says it is concentrating on clearing part of the sector’s debt, improving liquidity, expanding metering, strengthening transmission infrastructure, recovering stranded generation capacity and reducing revenue losses.

The effectiveness of these measures will ultimately depend on whether the improvements recorded in generation and infrastructure translate into more reliable electricity at household and business level.

Tegbe acknowledged that national generation figures alone do not capture the experience of every electricity consumer.

The government has therefore set the next six months as another period for measuring whether its interventions can deliver more consistent supply, more accurate billing and faster resolution of faults across Nigeria’s electricity market.

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Abuja’s Idu Industrial Area Targets Round-the-Clock Power Under 50MW Plan

The Federal Government plans to provide continuous electricity to Abuja’s Idu Industrial Area through a 50MW electrification project, Power Minister Joseph Tegbe announced on Thursday.

The initial 10MW is expected by December 2026, with another 40MW scheduled for rollout during 2027.

Tegbe said technical audits were underway across the Lagos industrial axis, Abuja–Kaduna corridor and Enugu–Onitsha axis.

He identified transmission and distribution coordination, including cooperation with Abuja Electricity Distribution Company, as essential to reaching industrial customers.

According to the minister, the Lagos corridor represents roughly 40 per cent of national electricity demand. Planned interventions aim to create or protect approximately 180,000 jobs within six months.

Infrastructure improvements would begin along Lagos–Sagamu before progressing to Abuja and Enugu–Onitsha.

Minister of State for Industry John Owan Enoh also emphasised domestic manufacturing, value addition, diversification and international market integration, linking local production to youth employment.

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President Bola Tinubu has formally requested the Senate to confirm Joseph Olasunkanmi Tegbe as a Minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

The request was contained in a letter read during Tuesday’s plenary by Senate President Godswill Akpabio.

Senate to Act on Confirmation

In the letter, Tinubu said the nomination was made in line with constitutional provisions and urged the Senate to give it prompt consideration.

Akpabio responded that the request would be handled without delay, referring it to the Committee of the Whole for immediate action.

Who is Joseph Tegbe?

Joseph Tegbe is a fiscal and economic reform expert with over 35 years of experience spanning both public and private sectors.

He previously served as Senior Partner and Head of Advisory Services at KPMG Africa, where he led projects focused on fiscal policy reform, governance, and institutional transformation.

He has also advised government institutions and private organisations on regulatory frameworks, strategic reforms, and investment structuring.

Political Context

The nomination was earlier confirmed by the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, who stated that the request had been transmitted to the Senate for screening and confirmation.

The development follows the resignation of Adebayo Adelabu, who stepped down to pursue a governorship ambition in Oyo State.

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President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has nominated Mr Joseph Olasunkanmi Tegbe as Nigeria’s Minister of Power, subject to confirmation by the Senate.

The nomination has been formally transmitted to the Senate for screening and approval in line with constitutional requirements. It follows the resignation of the former Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, who stepped down to pursue elective office.

Mr Tegbe, an indigene of Oyo State, brings over 35 years of experience spanning both the public and private sectors, with a strong background in fiscal policy, economic reform, and institutional development.

He previously served as Senior Partner and Head of Advisory Services at KPMG Africa, where he led major assignments in governance reform, regulatory restructuring, and public sector transformation across several African economies.

Beyond his private sector experience, Tegbe has advised government institutions and private organisations on investment structuring, policy reforms, and regulatory frameworks aimed at improving efficiency and attracting capital.

He currently serves as Director-General and Global Liaison for the Nigeria-China Strategic Partnership (NCSP), where he coordinates bilateral development initiatives between Nigeria and China. The role also involves engagement with public sector stakeholders to advance economic cooperation in line with the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) objectives.

Within the power sector, Tegbe has been involved in advisory engagements related to regulatory and institutional reforms, working with agencies such as the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) and the Nigerian Bulk Electricity Trading Company (NBET).

His nomination is expected to support ongoing reforms in the electricity sector, particularly in improving grid stability, strengthening governance structures, and attracting long-term investment under the administration’s Renewed Hope Agenda.

If confirmed by the Senate, President Tinubu expects him to deploy his experience to accelerate reforms and improve power supply outcomes across the country.

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