Lagos and three states to regain power as grid repairs begin

Nigeria’s Minister of Power, Joseph Tegbe, said the power outages affecting households and businesses in four states, including Lagos and the Federal Capital Territory, will be eased as generating units are brought back online within 48 to 72 hours. He made the statement on Friday via his Facebook page, acknowledging the strain caused by reduced electricity supply across major metropolitan areas.

Planned maintenance at Egbin Power Station and constraints in gas supply to some thermal power plants have lowered the volume of electricity on the national grid. Sabotage of key transmission lines has also restricted the use of alternative routes to supply some locations, especially Lagos. Grid operators have implemented load shedding to manage the shortfall.

Tegbe assured that his team is working with operators to improve gas supply, accelerate repairs to damaged infrastructure and return the affected generating units to service in phases. The first units are expected to come back online within the next 48 to 72 hours, after which further updates will be provided. He thanked those affected for their patience.

The disruption has coincided with high temperatures as the rainy season ends, increasing pressure on households and businesses already coping with elevated petrol prices. Some users are turning to solar systems and inverters to meet their energy needs. A dispute has emerged, with a company stating it can only transmit the energy made available to it and cannot transmit energy that is not generated.

The minister’s remarks underscore ongoing challenges in Nigeria’s power sector, including low plant availability, ageing grid infrastructure and transmission hitches, despite years of investment and successive reform efforts.