Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, has apologised to Nigerians over the persistent electricity outages recorded in the past month, acknowledging the severe impact on households, businesses, and critical sectors.
The apology was delivered during a press conference in Abuja on Tuesday, 24 March 2026, amid growing public frustration over erratic power supply worsened by intense dry-season heat and rising demand for electricity.
In his remarks, Adelabu admitted that the situation has caused widespread hardship across the country.
“I want to apologise to Nigerians, officially now, coming from me as the Minister of Power, for this temporary issue that is leading to hardship being experienced, especially during this dry season, where there is so much heat everywhere.
“Businesses are being affected, schools have been affected, and industries have been affected. It is not our wish to find ourselves in this situation, but it is due to some factors that are actually beyond our control.”
Despite the disruptions, the minister assured that efforts are underway to restore stability in the power sector, providing a timeline for improvement.
“I can tell you, with the committee that we have set up, and commitments from gas suppliers, and the timeline for repair of the gas pipelines, two weeks from now, we should start seeing improvements in supply. Two weeks,” Adelabu said.
Findings indicate that Nigeria’s electricity generation, which relies heavily on gas-fired plants, has been affected by supply disruptions linked to pipeline maintenance challenges and financial constraints within the sector.
Adelabu acknowledged these structural issues, noting that while some are beyond immediate government control, steps are being taken to stabilise operations.
“We are working on it 24/7 to make sure that we go back to the trajectory of 2025, when Nigerians commended us for a good job well done,” he said.
The minister reiterated the Federal Government’s target to increase electricity generation to 6,000 megawatts before the end of 2026, describing the current situation as a temporary setback.
“Power generation will improve, transmission will improve, distribution will improve, and that 6,000 megawatts will be achieved before the end of this year, and Nigerians will be better for it,” he assured.
He added that the government aims not only to recover but to exceed previous performance levels in the sector.
“If we could provide such service in 2025, this is 2026, we are willing to do more, to even do better,” Adelabu said.
