Abayomi Olamilekan
The Honourable Minister of Power, Joseph Tegbe, has outlined a roadmap to stabilise Nigeria’s electricity grid, expand transmission capacity and attract fresh investments into the power sector.
Tegbe made this known at the opening of the Nigeria Energy Leadership Summit and Exhibition 2026, held at the Landmark Centre, Lagos, from October 27 to 29, with the theme, “Strengthening Power Delivery Through Execution, Coordination and Performance.”
The minister stressed the need to move beyond policy development to implementing reforms that deliver measurable improvements in electricity supply, system performance and the financial sustainability of the power sector.
He identified four key priorities: strengthening energy zones, improving sector liquidity and sustainability, optimising existing assets, and expanding infrastructure to meet future electricity demand.
According to him, the strategy is designed to address challenges across generation, transmission and distribution, ensuring that investments translate into more reliable electricity for households, businesses and industries.
Tegbe identified gas supply constraints, overstretched transmission infrastructure, distribution losses and accumulated sector liabilities as major challenges requiring coordinated interventions.
To improve electricity delivery and support industrial growth, he highlighted three priority economic energy corridors: Lagos–Ogun, Benin–Enugu–Port Harcourt, and Abuja–Kaduna–Kano.
The initiative aims to align power generation, transmission infrastructure, distribution capacity and identifiable electricity demand across the corridors to improve supply reliability and boost economic productivity.
The minister also highlighted government initiatives to reduce technical and commercial losses, including the Presidential Metering Initiative (PMI), Distribution Sector Recovery Programme (DSRP) and Meter Acquisition Fund (MAF).
On the financial challenges facing the sector, Tegbe disclosed that the government had paid ₦1.23 trillion out of an estimated ₦3.3 trillion in legacy liabilities. He added that measures were being taken to address outstanding obligations and prevent new financial leakages from creating further liabilities.
He further emphasised the need to maximise the performance of existing power-sector assets while expanding infrastructure to accommodate growing electricity demand.
Tegbe said the reforms, which align with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, must deliver tangible economic benefits through improved industrial productivity, business expansion, increased investment and job creation.
The Nigeria Energy Leadership Summit and Exhibition 2026 brings together energy companies, technology providers and other industry stakeholders to showcase innovative solutions and explore investment opportunities across the power and wider energy value chain.
