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The Nigerian Government plans to introduce a 24-hour electricity supply in parts of Lagos, Ogun and Abuja as part of efforts to improve power delivery in major economic centres.
The Minister of Power, Joseph Tegbe, disclosed this on Friday during an interactive luncheon with senior media editors in Lagos.
He said the Lagos-Ogun axis and the Abuja electricity franchise area had been identified as proposed pilot locations for the initiative, subject to technical readiness and commercial viability.
According to the minister, the two areas jointly account for more than 50 per cent of Nigeria’s electricity demand, making them strategic locations for the planned intervention.
Tegbe explained that the initiative formed part of a corridor-based electricity development strategy covering the Lagos-Ogun, Benin-Enugu-Port Harcourt and Abuja-Kaduna-Kano economic corridors.
“The strategy seeks to align electricity generation, transmission, and distribution capacity with demand in major economic centres,” he said.
The minister identified inadequate gas supply, ageing infrastructure, vandalism, transmission constraints, poor metering and commercial difficulties as major challenges affecting the electricity value chain.
“These interconnected problems require disciplined reform implementation rather than isolated interventions or short-term solutions,” he added.
On efforts to strengthen the sector, Tegbe disclosed that the Nigerian Government had paid N1.23 trillion out of the N3.3 trillion approved by President Bola Tinubu to settle verified legacy debts owed to electricity generation companies.
He added that more than 2.8 million electricity customers had been metered between 2023 and October 2026 under the Presidential Metering Initiative.
The minister also said recently commissioned substations and equipment had increased the national transmission capacity by more than 1,300 megavolt-amperes.
He listed Apapa, Ijora, Ikeja, Kumbotoso, Dankata, Mashi, Dan-Agundi, Biliri and Walalambe among the locations covered by the transmission improvements.
Tegbe further disclosed that the government was constructing a new National Grid Control Centre in Osogbo to replace the existing facility, which is more than 60 years old.
He said the administration was also working towards increasing electricity generation capacity to 10,000 megawatts.
On the security of electricity infrastructure, the minister said the government had approved a coordinated anti-vandalism campaign involving relevant security agencies.
He added that it would strengthen legal measures to protect critical power assets against vandalism and other forms of sabotage.
Tegbe acknowledged Nigerians’ frustration with unreliable electricity supply, admitting that the sector remained far from meeting public expectations.
He said restoring public confidence would require better service delivery, transparency, accountability and regular communication about government interventions.
The minister urged the media to report developments in the sector accurately while maintaining professional scrutiny of government policies and performance.
He also said electricity consumers deserved timely explanations whenever supply disruptions occurred, including details of remedial measures and the responsibilities of institutions across the power value chain.
“The ultimate measure of success would not be installed capacity or policy announcements alone, but tangible improvements in electricity supply to Nigerian homes, businesses, and industries,” he said.
