Electricity Minister Adedayo Adelabu announced that about 150 million Nigerians are currently enjoying enough electricity, while 80 million continue to experience unreliable electricity supply.
Naija News The report said Adelabu shared this information at the ministerial department update meeting held in Abuja on Thursday, April 17, with the Minister of Information and Ethnic Training joining him, he joined him. Mohammed Malagi Idrisand other important stakeholders.
Adrab attributed this progress to Nigeria’s participation in the Mission 300 initiative, a collaborative effort between the World Bank and the African Development Bank (AFDB) to ensure electricity to reach 300 million Africans by 2030 to 2030.
He stressed that the initiative sets ambitious goals to improve access to electricity, promote renewable energy use and enhance clean cooking solutions for millions of Nigerians, noting, notes, notes, notes, notes, notes, notes, “That was a 300 mission and we have made significant progress in that.”
He continues “I’m happy to tell you that of 300 million Africans, the World Bank and AFDB are targeted to achieve, and Nigeria certainly has to make up no less than 25% of the population, which translates into about 75 million Nigerians. When we came up with our compact, they agreed with us.”
According to Nigeria’s Adelabu, the population is over 240 million and currently provides enough electricity to 150 million people. However, he stressed that the problem is not only the access rights, but the “reliability” of that access rights.
“The real challenge is the stability and affordability of electricity. That’s how we measure reliability. We have to make sure that those with access enjoy consistent and affordable power,” he said. He said.
The minister urged global financiers to prioritize strengthening of power grid and off-grid solutions in Nigeria, warning that the risks of over-reliance on renewable energy leave urban areas and industries behind.
“When you expand access to 300 million people under this plan, we should not focus on renewable energy only, which is more suitable for rural communities.
“Strengthening grid infrastructure is equally critical so that those associated with the grid can enjoy reliable power. Otherwise, how do we explain that Nigeria is increasingly choosing to generate captive power from national grids?” Aderab asked.
The minister also highlighted the latest situation in Nigeria’s power generation capacity.
“Since President Tinob took office, we have raised a generation to 6,003 MW, up 1,700 MW. If we keep that trajectory, we can reach 8,000 MW by the end of his first term and potentially, like other developed countries, that could climb to 23,000 MW.Adelabu announced.
He also announced that the Kaduna power plant will begin operations by the end of 2025.
On the metrology challenge, Adrab assured Nigerians: “The metrology gap will soon become history.”
The electricity price reform is very effective
Focusing on the financial structure of the industry, Adelabu stressed that the electricity bill reforms resulted in €700 billion in revenue.
In April 2024, the Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) in Nigeria approved the tariff increase for A Band A customers (customers receiving 20 hours of electricity per day), bringing the tax rate from ₦68 to 225 hours per kilowatt-hour. This 230% increase affected about 1.9 million consumers.
The government has previously stated that this increase is crucial due to the unsustainable nature of energy subsidies and is expected to reach 2.29 trillion in 2024. Even after the tariff rate hike, US$2.8 trillion will be allocated to the electricity subsidy of that year. NERC expects such tariff adjustments to reduce subsidized liabilities by 1.14 trillion.
However, this decision faces a rebound. The Institute of Chartered Accountants in Nigeria (ICAN) describes it as “An additional burden on citizens who have struggled. ”
Similarly, the impact of the Abuja Chamber and industry on small and medium-sized enterprises (small and medium-sized enterprises) has caused concern, indicating an increase in operating expenses.
Despite the advances in power generation, Nigeria’s power grid remains insufficient. In 2024, the State Grid collapsed at least 12 times, resulting in frequent power outages in major cities such as Abuja, Lagos and Kano.
Minister Adrab spoke at the ministerial meeting, advocating regionalization of the grid to avoid national power outages.
Transmissions Corporation (TCN) in Nigeria attributes these failures to aging infrastructure, intentional damage and inconsistent gas supply to thermal power plants.
The minister also expressed regret for the country’s excessive reliance on imported power equipment, which he said continued to limit foreign exchange reserves.
The unreliability of the state grid has led many Nigerian companies and households to switch to off-grid solutions. Overall, gasoline and diesel generators now produce about 40,000 megawatts, eight times the transmission of the National Grid. Some states are actively exploring independent power markets and mini-grids to reduce their dependence on central infrastructure.
“Until the nationwide power grid is truly reliable, Nigerians, both businesses and individuals, will continue to seek alternative solutions. Our mission is to reverse this trend by fixing fundamentals,” he said. Adrab came to the conclusion.
