Nigeria power supply may improve within 72 hours as Minister Joseph Tegbe promises action on generation, gas shortages and transmission constraints.
Nigeria’s Minister of Power, Joseph Tegbe, has assured electricity consumers that power supply will begin to improve within 48 to 72 hours, following prolonged outages linked to generation shortages, gas supply constraints and damaged transmission infrastructure across parts of the country, including Lagos and the Federal Capital Territory.
Tegbe gave the assurance on Friday, November 6, 2026, in a statement titled Update on Power Situation, shared on his Facebook page as households and businesses continued to grapple with reduced electricity supply.
The minister attributed a significant part of the disruption to planned maintenance at Egbin Power Station in Lagos, Nigeria’s largest thermal power generating facility, which accounts for approximately 16 per cent of electricity supplied to the national grid.
He explained that maintenance activities at the station, alongside inadequate gas supply to other thermal power plants, had reduced the volume of electricity available for distribution.
The shortfall has forced grid operators to introduce load shedding in some areas, a measure used to manage available electricity when generation cannot meet demand.
Acknowledging the difficulties faced by consumers, Tegbe said the outages had placed considerable pressure on households and businesses in four affected areas.
“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,” he said.
The minister also identified the sabotage of critical transmission lines as another factor worsening the situation, particularly in Lagos, where damaged infrastructure has restricted alternative routes for electricity transmission.
He said the ministry was working with relevant operators to restore affected generating units in phases, improve gas availability and accelerate repairs to damaged infrastructure.
“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.
“We are also working with operators to improve gas supply and accelerate repairs to the damaged infrastructure,” Tegbe added.
However, the minister’s timeline refers specifically to the return of the first affected generating units, rather than a guarantee that normal electricity supply will be restored to every affected community within three days.
The announcement comes amid growing frustration among electricity consumers in Lagos and Ogun states, where prolonged blackouts have disrupted commercial activities and made daily living increasingly difficult during the prevailing hot weather.
For businesses dependent on electricity, the interruptions have also increased pressure to rely on alternative sources of power, particularly petrol and diesel generators, adding to operating expenses.
Egbin Power Station remains particularly important to the country’s electricity supply. Located in Ijede, Ikorodu, Lagos State, the facility has an installed capacity of 1,320 megawatts across six generating units, each capable of producing 220 megawatts.
According to information published by Egbin Power Plc, the station contributes more than 16 per cent of electricity supplied to the national grid, making its operational performance significant to the wider power sector.
Meanwhile, the electricity crisis has triggered a public disagreement between the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) and Ikeja Electric over responsibility for recent supply interruptions.
TCN, in a statement issued on Friday, November 6, rejected Ikeja Electric’s explanation that grid instability was responsible for outages recorded on some of its Band A feeders on November 3 and 4.
The transmission company maintained that inadequate gas supply to thermal power stations and reduced output from hydroelectric plants were primarily responsible for the decline in electricity available for distribution.
TCN also argued that the Nigerian Independent System Operator (NISO), rather than electricity distribution companies, was responsible for determining the causes of disturbances and interruptions on the national grid under the Electricity Act 2023.
“TCN can only transmit the energy made available to it and cannot transmit energy that is not generated,” the company stated.
Providing its own breakdown, TCN said 68 per cent of interruptions recorded across feeders supplying Ikeja Electric on November 1 and 2 resulted from frequency-control load shedding caused by inadequate generation.
It attributed another 26 per cent to alleged non-compliance with electricity allocations by Ikeja Electric, alongside faults and maintenance activities on the distribution company’s network.
The remaining six per cent, according to TCN, resulted from its planned maintenance, switching operations and transmission line limitations.
However, an important distinction exists in the figures presented by the transmission company. Its 68, 26 and six per cent breakdown covered November 1 and 2, while Ikeja Electric’s disputed public notice concerned outages recorded on November 3 and 4.
This difference in reporting periods is important when assessing the competing explanations and should not be interpreted as a direct statistical breakdown of the specific November 3 and 4 interruptions.
The disagreement followed an apology from Ikeja Electric to customers on some Band A feeders after the company failed to meet the minimum daily electricity supply requirement of 20 hours on November 3 and 4.
The dispute has further highlighted the challenges consumers face when trying to establish which part of the electricity supply chain is responsible for persistent interruptions.
Earlier, on Thursday, November 5, Tegbe had directed TCN, NISO and electricity distribution companies to work together to address operational challenges contributing to the decline in electricity generation.
The minister said the Federal Government was engaging the relevant agencies to accelerate maintenance activities, resolve operational difficulties and restore more reliable electricity supply.
With the latest 48-to-72-hour assurance, attention is now on whether the return of generating units, improved gas supply and repairs to transmission infrastructure will translate into noticeable improvements for consumers.
For households and businesses that have endured prolonged blackouts, the immediate expectation is not simply an increase in electricity generation but more consistent supply and clearer accountability across the power sector.
