Abuja, November 7, 2026 – The Minister of Power, Joseph Tegbe, has assured Nigerians that electricity supply will begin to improve within the next 48 to 72 hours as the Federal Government works to resolve generation and transmission challenges behind recent widespread outages.
In a statement titled “Update on Power Situation,” posted on his Facebook page on Friday, Tegbe acknowledged the hardship the blackouts have caused for households and businesses, particularly in four affected states that include Lagos and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
“I am aware of the strain that the current outages have placed on households and businesses in four affected states, including Lagos and the Federal Capital Territory,” the minister said.
He attributed the reduced supply to a combination of factors: planned maintenance at Egbin Power Station — Nigeria’s largest thermal power plant in Lagos, which contributes about 16 per cent of electricity on the national grid — constraints in gas supply to some thermal power stations, and sabotage of critical transmission lines. The latter, he noted, has restricted the use of alternative routes for supplying power to certain locations, especially Lagos.
As a result, grid operators have implemented load shedding in some areas to manage the shortfall in available electricity.
Tegbe said his ministry is collaborating with relevant operators to restore the affected generating units in phases. “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 stated.
“We are also working with operators to improve gas supply and accelerate repairs to the damaged infrastructure.”
The minister thanked residents and businesses for their patience and pledged to provide further updates as supply is gradually restored.
The assurance comes amid complaints from electricity consumers in Lagos, parts of the FCT, and other areas over prolonged outages. Distribution companies, including Ikeja Electric, have pointed to national grid instability as a factor limiting supply, even as the Transmission Company of Nigeria has offered differing accounts of the immediate causes in some cases.
Tegbe’s latest update follows earlier interventions by the ministry to stabilise the power sector, including efforts to improve generation capacity, address gas constraints, and clear long-delayed transmission equipment from the ports.
The minister reiterated that work is ongoing across the value chain to return the system to more reliable operations in the coming days.
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