Power Minister Faces Calls to Resign Over Persistent Blackouts

The Minister of Power, Joseph Tegbe, has come under criticism from Nigerians and civil society organisations, with some demanding his resignation over persistent electricity outages across the country.

The calls followed an update by the minister on social media on Saturday, in which he attributed the worsening power supply to planned maintenance at Egbin Power Station and gas supply constraints affecting some thermal power plants.

Tegbe assured consumers that electricity supply would begin to improve within 48 to 72 hours, adding that the Federal Government was working with relevant operators to restore affected generating units, improve gas supply and repair damaged infrastructure.

He also disclosed that the ministry had secured the release of 98 out of 300 containers of transmission equipment that had remained stranded at the ports for nearly 20 years. He said the equipment would support stalled projects, reduce pressure on overloaded substations and strengthen the national grid.

However, the minister's explanation attracted criticism from consumers and social media users, some of whom accused the government of making excuses for prolonged outages. Others faulted the ministry for failing to notify the public ahead of the maintenance work.

The National President of the Committee for the Defence of Human Rights, Yinka Folarin, described the minister's explanation as unacceptable and called on him to resign, arguing that he had failed to provide effective solutions to the electricity crisis.

Folarin also criticised the continued billing of consumers in communities that had experienced prolonged power outages, despite the high cost of electricity.

Similarly, the National Coordinator of the Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria, Emmanuel Onwubiko, described Tegbe's handling of the situation as disappointing.

Onwubiko questioned the minister's earlier claims about excess electricity supply and his latest assurance that power would improve within 72 hours. He also called for an investigation into the power ministry's activities and greater accountability for alleged financial abuses in the sector.

The Executive Director of the Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre, Auwal Rafsanjani, said Nigerians were justified in demanding accountability from the minister.

He called for an independent assessment of the minister's performance against measurable targets, noting that persistent failure to deliver should attract consequences, including removal from office.

Rafsanjani, however, maintained that the electricity crisis extended beyond the minister's leadership, identifying poor planning, corruption, inadequate infrastructure, gas shortages and weak regulation as some of the underlying challenges.

He urged the Federal Government to conduct an urgent audit of expenditure in the power sector, address gas supply constraints, modernise infrastructure and enforce performance standards for sector operators.

Meanwhile, the Oyo State Coordinator of the Campaign for Democratic and Workers' Rights, Abiodun Bamgboye, argued that replacing the minister would not resolve the country's electricity problems.

Bamgboye faulted the government's explanation of gas shortages during the rainy season, questioning why the country continued to experience inadequate electricity generation despite the availability of hydroelectric power.

He also criticised the absence of advance public notification about the maintenance work, insisting that planned repairs should have clear timelines communicated to consumers.

Bamgboye said Nigeria's electricity generation capacity remained inadequate for its population, noting that the country was struggling to distribute less than 10,000 megawatts.

Other Nigerians also called for structural reforms, including the decentralisation of the national grid and the development of regional electricity networks, arguing that the existing arrangement had failed to provide reliable supply.