Nigeria’s Power Minister Sets 48 to 72-Hour Restoration Timeline

Nigeria’s power minister, Joseph Tegbe, said affected generating units would return to service in phases, with the first expected online within 48 to 72 hours, as outages continued in several states. He attributed the reduced electricity supply to planned maintenance at Egbin Power Station, gas constraints and damage to transmission infrastructure, and said load shedding was being used in some areas.

In a statement posted Friday, Tegbe said the outages were affecting four states, including Lagos and the Federal Capital Territory. He said sabotage of key transmission lines had restricted alternative routes for supplying some locations, particularly Lagos. Tegbe apologised to affected households and businesses and said the ministry would provide further updates as supply improved.

The minister said the government was working with electricity-sector operators to improve gas supply to thermal power plants and accelerate repairs to damaged infrastructure. He said the affected generating units would return in phases, but the 48-to-72-hour timeframe was an expectation, not confirmation that generation or supply had already recovered.

The Nigerian Independent System Operator has...