Senate confirms Tegbe, vows to stabilise power sector in 100 days

The Senate on Wednesday confirmed Joseph Tegbe as minister-designate for power, following his screening at the National Assembly.

Tegbe was confirmed after a voice vote by lawmakers, presided over by Godswill Akpabio, Nigeria’s Senate President.

During the screening, Tegbe pledged to stabilise Nigeria’s fragile national grid within his first 100 days in office, if sworn in as substantive minister.

He said his immediate priority would be to address recurring grid collapses, which have continued to disrupt electricity supply across the country.

“The first phase in the 100 days is to stabilise the grid. There are questions around grid collapse, and then we need to roll out metering. Last year, we rolled out one million metres across the country, it has never been done before,” he said.

Tegbe added that his plan would also include expanding metering to reduce estimated billing, enforcing discipline in the sector, and strengthening operational systems.

“We need to stabilise the grid. There are short-term actions we must take quickly. We need to enforce strict codes against indiscipline and ensure a structured system.

“We also need to improve reserves in our grid. This has been done elsewhere, what we need is discipline to achieve it,” he said.

President Bola Tinubu had on Tuesday sought the Senate confirmation of Tegbe, following the resignation of Bayo Adelabu, who stepped down to pursue a governorship ambition.

Nigeria’s electricity grid has remained unstable, with repeated system failures leading to widespread blackouts.

Industry data shows that since May 2023, the grid has recorded between 20 and 22 collapses as of early 2026.

At least three collapses were recorded between May and December 2023, while about 12 occurred in 2024.

Another 12 incidents were reported in 2025, with several already recorded this year.

Each collapse typically results in a nationwide or widespread outage, disrupting homes, businesses and critical services.

The persistent outages have increased reliance on diesel and petrol generators, raising operating costs for businesses and households.

Tegbe also told lawmakers that the power sector is currently burdened with an estimated N6 trillion debt.

He attributed the debt to market shortfalls, which have limited the ability of generation companies to meet gas payment obligations.

“Generation companies cannot adequately pay for gas because of these shortfalls. Today, the sector carries about N6 trillion in debt. Government has made efforts, about N3.3 trillion has been settled through bonds but the pressure remains significant,” he said.

He assured lawmakers that he would present a detailed reform plan with measurable milestones within three months of his confirmation.

“We will come back to you with clear milestones.

“If you do not see results in three months, you will not see them in six months. So you must hold us accountable,” he said.

Godswill Akpabio, while presiding, warned Tegbe to be mindful of entrenched interests in the power sector that may resist reforms.

“When meetings are held in the power ministry and there is an outage, the minister may be worried, but some engineers are relaxed because they see it as more work coming.

“That tells you there are entrenched interests who do not want the system to work,” he said.

He also pointed to vested interests in the generator business, noting that some operators benefit from the country’s unreliable electricity supply.

“There are those in the generator business who do not want power to improve because it affects their profits. You will need to look beyond finance and administration to address these issues,” he added.

Tegbe urged lawmakers to support the reforms and help communicate the need for difficult decisions to their constituents.

“We are going to come to you with difficult decisions. Please tell your constituents to bear with us. We understand the pain, but we will get there,” he said.