Tegbe Denies Promising to Fix Nigeria’s Power Grid in Three Months

By Modupe Gbadeyanka

The Minister of Power designate, Mr Joseph Tegbe, has refuted reports making the rounds that he promised to resolve Nigeria’s power grid within three months.

It was claimed that Mr Tegbe gave this assurance when he appeared before the Senate for screening this week after his nomination by President Bola Tinubu.

In a statement on Friday by his spokesperson, Adeola A. Adelabu, the Minister-designate emphasised that he never promised to fix the national grid issue in 90 days.

One of the major challenges facing the country’s electricity sector is the frequent collapse of the grid. The country, blessed with more than 220 million people, generates less than 5,000MW of electricity.

The power grid has had to break down frequently, especially while Mr Tegbe’s predecessor, Mr Adebayo Adelabu, was in charge.

In the statement today, the new person chosen by the President to lead the power sector reform noted that his remarks at the upper chamber of the National Assembly were misrepresented.

It was stressed that at his Senate screening on May 6, 2026, Mr Tegbe made no such commitment, but stated unequivocally that the timelines were still being worked on and subject to diagnostics and stakeholder engagements.

While assuring that initial grid stabilisation efforts would commence within the first 100 days, he made clear that structural reforms, particularly in sector credibility, gas supply, and metering, might take about a year.

“My promise to this chamber and to Nigeria is that Nigerians will see visible improvement in the sector,” Mr Tegbe said, pledging to stabilise the national grid, modernise infrastructure, enhance commercial frameworks, and enforce accountability across the entire electricity value chain.

On tariff reforms, he promised to protect vulnerable households while balancing sustainability, investor confidence, and broader sector efficiency.

The Minister-designate said he remains open to constructive media engagement and welcomes requests for clarification where necessary, recognising the role of the media as partners in nation-building, especially in fostering accurate public understanding of the imminent reforms in the power sector.