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“It Is Not Our Wish”: Minister of Power Adebayo Adelabu Apologises for Ongoing Power Outages
Minister of Power Adebayo Adelabu has issued an official apology to Nigerians for the persistent power outages and hardships caused by the current electricity crisis. Citing gas supply shortfalls during the intense dry season, the Minister has committed to a visible improvement in supply within the next two weeks as the government targets a 6,000MW generation capacity by the end of 2026.
Adebayo Adelabu holding a microphone at the NCA TICAD 9 thematic event. Photo Credit: Adebayo Adelabu/X
If your generator has been working harder than usual lately, you are not alone and the government knows it. Nigeria’s Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, held a press conference in Abuja on Tuesday 24th March 2026 to publicly apologise to Nigerians over the persistent and worsening power outages that have been disrupting homes, businesses, schools and industries since February — and to promise that things will get better within two weeks.
“I want to apologise to Nigerians, officially now, coming from me as the Minister of Power, for this temporary issue that is leading to hardship being experienced, especially during this dry season, where there is so much heat everywhere,” he said. “Businesses are being affected, schools have been affected, and industries have been affected. It is not our wish to find ourselves in this situation, but it is some factors that are actually beyond our control.”
So what exactly is going on? When the rainy season ended in late January, hydro power stations stopped generating sufficient electricity and the country shifted its dependence to thermal power stations. Those thermal plants run on gas — and gas suppliers have significantly reduced supply to the plants because power generating companies currently owe them a staggering 6.3 trillion naira in debt. Several power plants have shut down as a result, and Nigerians have been paying the price in darkness and heat ever since.
The minister assured Nigerians that the government is not sitting still. A special committee has been set up to monitor compliance with domestic gas supply obligations by gas producers, and key infrastructure repairs — including those involving facilities operated by Seplat Energy — are underway with clear timelines attached. “I can tell you, with the committee that we have set up, and commitments from gas suppliers, and the timeline for repair of the gas pipelines, two weeks from now, we should start seeing improvements in supply. Two weeks,” Adelabu said.
He also reminded Nigerians of what the sector achieved last year, referencing a period when the government received praise for improved power supply. “We are working on it 24/7 to make sure that we go back to the trajectory of 2025, when Nigerians commended us for a good job well done,” he said. “Power generation will improve, transmission will improve, distribution will improve, and that 6,000 megawatts will be achieved before the end of this year, and Nigerians will be better for it.”
President Bola Tinubu has also moved on the issue, inaugurating an 11-member committee to drive the establishment of the Grid Asset Management Company Limited, known as GAMCO, a new initiative aimed at addressing Nigeria’s persistent power sector challenges including stranded power generation, transmission bottlenecks and grid management inefficiencies. The committee is chaired by the President’s Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila.
Two weeks is the timeline the minister has put on the table.
