Lagos Residents, Businesses Get 72-Hour Hope As Power Minister Promises Gradual Restoration Of Electricity Supply
By Sherif Salau
Lagos residents and business owners enduring prolonged power outages may see relief within days as the Minister of Power, Joseph Tegbe, promises the phased restoration of affected generating units, with the first expected back online within 48 to 72 hours. The outages, part of a wider disruption affecting four states including the Federal Capital Territory, have tested the patience of residents and operators alike. The outages, part of a wider disruption affecting four states including the Federal Capital Territory, have tested the patience of residents and operators alike.
On Friday, the Minister of Power, Joseph Tegbe, offered a measured timeline for relief. In a statement titled “Update on Power Situation,” he said the first of the affected generating units are expected to return to service within 48 to 72 hours. Supply, he added, would improve gradually as more capacity is restored.
Tegbe attributed the shortfall to a combination of factors. Planned maintenance at Egbin Power Station, Nigeria’s largest thermal plant and a facility that supplies roughly 16 per cent of the electricity on the national grid, has reduced available generation. Constraints in gas supply to other thermal stations have compounded the problem. Grid operators have responded with load shedding to manage the imbalance.
The minister also pointed to sabotage of critical transmission lines. The damage, he said, has restricted alternative routes for moving power, with Lagos particularly affected. “I am aware of the strain that the current outages have placed on households and businesses in four affected states, including Lagos and the Federal Capital Territory,” Tegbe stated.
His ministry is working with sector operators to bring the affected units back online in phases, improve gas deliveries and accelerate repairs to damaged infrastructure. “My team and I are working to return the affected generating units to service in phases, with the first units coming back online within the next 48 to 72 hours,” he said. “We are also working with operators to improve gas supply and accelerate repairs to the damaged infrastructure.”
The assurance comes after days of public frustration and a public exchange between the Transmission Company of Nigeria and Ikeja Electric over the precise causes of feeder outages in parts of Lagos. For ordinary consumers, the technical debate has mattered less than the practical reality of unreliable supply.
Tegbe thanked those affected for their patience and said further updates would follow as restoration progresses. For Lagos residents and businesses that have endured the recent disruptions, the 48-to-72-hour window offers a concrete near-term target. Whether the first units return on schedule and whether the gradual improvement reaches homes and workplaces will determine how much relief the promise ultimately delivers.
