Nigeria’s electricity challenges continue, as power supply remains unstable two weeks after the Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, promised noticeable improvements.
Despite assurances, power generation has only slightly improved, hovering between 3,000 and 4,000 megawatts—far below the over 5,000MW recorded in 2025. This has left many homes and businesses still struggling with outages.
The ongoing crisis is largely driven by gas shortages, infrastructure limitations, and disputes within the power sector. Gas suppliers have reportedly reduced supply to thermal plants due to unpaid debts, further limiting generation capacity.
Compounding the issue, power generation companies (GenCos) and distribution companies (DisCos) remain at odds. While GenCos accuse DisCos of rejecting available electricity—leading to financial losses—DisCos argue they can only accept power they can efficiently distribute and sell.
According to industry data, Nigeria has an installed capacity of about 15,500MW, but only around 7,000MW can be made available due to operational and financial constraints. Of this, just 4,000MW to 4,500MW is typically transmitted and distributed, highlighting major inefficiencies across the value chain.
The Transmission Company of Nigeria maintains that it has increased its wheeling capacity to 8,700MW through infrastructure upgrades. However, disputes over actual capacity and performance continue among sector players.
Meanwhile, the Association of Power Generation Companies confirmed that load rejection by DisCos, alongside gas shortages, is a key factor behind the persistent low supply.
Although Adelabu had earlier apologised and assured Nigerians that improvements would be seen within two weeks, many citizens say they have yet to experience any meaningful change.
As disagreements among GenCos, DisCos, and transmission operators persist, the anticipated relief remains elusive—leaving households and businesses uncertain about when stable electricity will finally be restored.
