Paul Ibe, Media Adviser to the African Democratic Congress presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, has criticised the Minister of Power, Joseph Tegbe, over his comment that some Nigerians complained about their freezers freezing excessively.

Tegbe made the remark on Wednesday while commissioning a 3MW solar hybrid power project at Yakubu Gowon University, Abuja, formerly the University of Abuja.

The minister said some areas that had gone without electricity for three months were now receiving up to 18 hours of supply. He added that some consumers had contacted him and asked him to “slow down” because their freezers were freezing too much.

Reacting on Thursday, Ibe questioned the minister’s account, citing data from the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission on the gap between Nigeria’s installed generation capacity and the power available for dispatch.

According to NERC’s April 2026 operational performance report, the 28 grid-connected power plants covered had an average available generation capacity of 4,286 megawatts from an installed capacity of 13,625MW, representing a plant availability factor of 31 per cent.

The report also recorded an average load factor of 94 per cent, indicating that most of the available generation capacity was utilised during the period.

Ibe argued that the minister’s remarks did not reflect the experience of many Nigerians facing rising energy and living costs.

He said while the government was hearing complaints about freezers freezing, many Nigerians were dealing with generators, high electricity bills and rising fuel costs.

Ibe also criticised the cost of alternative energy sources, saying diesel had recently exceeded N2,000 per litre in some parts of the country.

He urged the Federal Government to focus on improving the reliability and affordability of electricity supply rather than highlighting the freezer comment.

According to Ibe, the country’s electricity challenge could not be assessed solely through claims of improved supply in some areas, but required attention to the gap between installed capacity and available generation.

He called on the government to prioritise reliable and affordable electricity for households and businesses.