Nigeria’s ministerial nominee for Power, Joseph Tegbe, has pledged to stabilise the country’s fragile electricity grid within his first 100 days in office, setting a bold tone for what could become one of the most demanding reform efforts in the current administration.
Tegbe made the commitment on Wednesday during his screening before the Senate, where he emphasised the urgency of delivering measurable results within a short timeframe.
“If you don’t see this in three months, it means you won’t see it in six months. You must see results in the first 100 days, and you must hold us accountable,” he said.
His declaration shifted the session from a routine confirmation exercise to a high-stakes accountability engagement, with lawmakers questioning the feasibility of reversing Nigeria’s long-standing power challenges within such a limited period.
Outlining his priorities, Tegbe said his immediate focus would be on stabilising the national grid, enforcing discipline across the electricity value chain, and eliminating systemic inefficiencies that have weakened sector performance over the years.
“The first phase in the 100 days is to stabilise the grid. We need to enforce strict codes against indiscipline and ensure a disciplined system across the sector,” he stated.
He acknowledged that deep-rooted structural issues – including governance lapses, operational inefficiencies, and financial strain – continue to hinder progress in the sector.
According to him, Nigeria’s electricity industry is burdened by an estimated ₦6 trillion debt, which has constrained investment and undermined operational stability.
“Government has done very well. We even settled ₦3.3 trillion through bonds, but the sector is still under pressure,” Tegbe added.
Lawmakers, however, warned that beyond technical and financial constraints, entrenched interests benefiting from persistent power failures pose a significant obstacle to reform.
Chairman of the Senate Committee on Power, Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe, cautioned that a powerful network of stakeholders has emerged around Nigeria’s unreliable electricity supply, particularly within the generator importation and sales market.
“There is a cabal you must confront, both within the system and outside it. Those importing generators are thriving because power is not stable,” Abaribe said.
The Senate described the generator market as a “failure-driven economy”, sustained by recurring grid collapses and unreliable electricity supply across households and businesses.
Former Minister of Power, Senator Danjuma Goje, reinforced the concern, warning that inefficiency within the sector has become financially rewarding for some actors.
“When power goes out, some people see opportunity, not crisis. You must not allow a situation where inefficiency becomes a business model,” Goje said.
He further cautioned against inflated maintenance costs and questionable procurement practices, urging Tegbe to scrutinise all expenditures carefully to avoid perpetuating systemic failures.
“Be careful with maintenance figures coming to you. Some of them are not genuine. If you don’t check it, you will be sustaining the problem you are meant to solve,” he added.
Lawmakers also highlighted persistent technical limitations across the electricity value chain.
While Nigeria’s generation capacity is estimated at around 7,500 megawatts, transmission infrastructure can only wheel around 4,500 megawatts without risking system collapse.
Distribution networks, they noted, continue to grapple with weak infrastructure, energy losses, and inadequate metering.
“Even when power is generated, it is not efficiently transmitted, and when it gets to distribution, it is not properly delivered to Nigerians,” Goje said.
Tegbe also identified vandalism of transmission infrastructure as a major challenge, describing it as a national security concern that requires stronger collaboration with security agencies.
He further pointed to liquidity constraints affecting power generation companies, particularly their ability to procure gas and sustain operations.
Adopting a firmer stance, Tegbe pledged to confront actors benefiting from systemic failures and to tighten monitoring mechanisms across the sector.
“When there is power failure, some engineers are relaxed because they know more jobs are coming. We are going to put a stop to leakages and challenges in the power sector,” he said.
Senate President Godswill Akpabio added that Nigeria’s electricity crisis extends beyond engineering challenges, citing institutional overlaps and regulatory inconsistencies among sector agencies as critical issues requiring resolution.
Following the screening, the Senate confirmed Tegbe’s nomination through a voice vote, in line with legislative procedures.
However, lawmakers made it clear that the confirmation comes with high expectations.
Tegbe now faces the immediate challenge of stabilising the national grid within 100 days, tackling the sector’s multi-trillion-naira debt, and dismantling entrenched interests that have long benefited from Nigeria’s chronic electricity instability.
For a sector widely regarded as a major impediment to economic development, the new minister’s ambitious timeline sets the stage for an early test of reform credibility.
