Government Promises Relief After Weeks Of Electricity Blackout ... says gas supply is back

Federal Government has again reassured Nigerians that electricity supply will begin to improve within the next two weeks as maintenance work on a major gas pipeline supplying power plants is nearing completion.

The Chief Technical Adviser to the Minister of Power, Adebayo Olowoniyi, gave the assurance recently on Arise Television, stating that the restoration of full gas supply would enable power plants to return to previous generation levels.

According to Olowoniyi, ongoing maintenance on a critical gas pipeline significantly reduced gas availability to electricity generation companies, resulting in widespread outages currently affecting homes, businesses and industries across the country.

He explained that Nigeria’s power generation system relies heavily on gas, making disruptions to gas supply a major threat to electricity production.

“One of the major gas pipelines in Nigeria was undergoing maintenance, and that process is gradually being completed,” he said.

“We are confident that within the next two weeks, full gas pressure will be restored, allowing power plants to receive sufficient gas and return to the level of generation recorded over the last two to three months.”

Olowoniyi added that early signs of improvement had already begun as gas pressure gradually builds along the pipeline network.

“From yesterday, we have started to see gradual improvement, and this will continue over the next couple of weeks,” he noted.

His comments followed a public apology issued earlier by the Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, over persistent electricity outages nationwide.

Defending the minister’s apology, Olowoniyi described it as an act of leadership rather than an admission of personal failure.

“The minister’s apology reflects leadership in the sector,” he said. 

“While the challenges are not necessarily his direct fault, taking ownership shows commitment to ensuring solutions are implemented quickly.”

Earlier in Abuja, Adelabu attributed the power disruptions to factors beyond the government’s immediate control but assured Nigerians that supply would soon stabilise.

“With commitments from gas suppliers and the repair timeline for the pipelines, we expect improvements in electricity supply within two weeks,” the minister said.

He reiterated the Federal Government’s target of increasing electricity generation capacity to 6,000 megawatts before the end of 2026, describing the current outages as temporary.

For several months, Nigerians have endured unstable electricity supply and prolonged blackouts, worsened by rising temperatures across the country. 

The situation has sparked widespread criticism on social media and heightened public frustration.

The Nigerian Integrated System Operator and electricity distribution companies have blamed gas shortages for limiting generation to between 2,000 megawatts and 3,900 megawatts in recent weeks.

Industry operators have also raised concerns over lingering legacy debts in the power sector, estimated at over ₦6.8 trillion, which recently forced several gas-fired power plants to shut down operations.

Although the government had earlier set a 6,000-megawatt electricity supply target for 2025, the goal was not achieved, with authorities now shifting expectations toward 2026.