Power Minister Explains Worsening Blackouts, Promises Relief Within 72 Hours

The Minister of Power, Joseph Tegbe, has attributed the worsening electricity blackouts affecting Lagos and three other states to planned maintenance at the Egbin Power Station, gas supply constraints and sabotage of key transmission lines.

Tegbe, who disclosed this in a statement on Friday, said the challenges had reduced electricity available on the national grid, forcing grid operators to introduce load shedding in some areas.

He acknowledged the hardship caused by the outages, particularly for households and businesses in the affected states, including Lagos and the Federal Capital Territory.

The minister, however, assured Nigerians that efforts were underway to restore electricity supply, with the first generating units expected to return to service within 48 to 72 hours.

“My team and I are working to return the affected generating units to service in phases, with the first units coming back online within the next 48 to 72 hours,” he said.

Explaining the factors behind the worsening supply situation, Tegbe said planned maintenance at Egbin Power Station and constraints in gas supply to some thermal power stations had reduced generation capacity.

He added that sabotage of critical transmission lines had further complicated efforts to maintain supply, particularly in Lagos, by restricting the use of alternative transmission routes.

“We are also working with operators to improve gas supply and accelerate repairs to the damaged infrastructure,” the minister said.

Tegbe thanked electricity consumers for their patience, promising further updates as supply gradually improves.

The outages have heightened concerns among households and businesses already grappling with the cost of alternative power sources.