Oritsegbubemi Omatseyin
Lagos — The Federal Government has reaffirmed its commitment to delivering reliable electricity supply to Nigerians, disclosing plans for fresh investment in stabilizing the national grid against recurring collapses and voltage fluctuations.
Speaking on the initiative, the Minister of Power, Joseph Tegbe, said the Ministry was moving beyond short-term fixes toward a structural overhaul of the transmission network, describing grid stability as “the foundation on which every other promise to Nigerians on power must be built.”
“We cannot talk about generation gains or distribution reforms if the grid itself is fragile. This administration is committed to a stable, resilient national grid, not as a slogan, but as a measurable, time-bound programme of work,” the Minister said.
The statement noted that a Technical Working Committee on Grid Stabilization has been constituted to drive the initiative, bringing together engineering and regulatory expertise to address transmission bottlenecks, ageing infrastructure, and the frequent system collapses that have disrupted supply in recent years.
The Committee is expected to work closely with the Transmission Company of Nigeria, TCN, and the Nigerian Independent System Operator, NISO, in identifying priority intervention points across the network. Officials say the planned investment will focus on reinforcing critical transmission corridors, expanding grid redundancy, and modernizing control and monitoring systems to reduce the frequency and impact of outages.
The announcement comes as the Ministry moves to strengthen public confidence in the power sector following years of service disruptions and scepticism over past commitments. The Minister acknowledged the trust deficit directly, noting that Nigerians had “heard promises before” and that the current administration understood its obligation was to be judged by delivery, not declarations.
“We are not asking for blind faith. We are asking to be held to account against clear milestones, and that is exactly what we intend to do,” he said.
The Ministry indicated that updates on the grid stabilization programme would form part of a broader, coordinated communication effort across the sector’s institutions, ensuring that citizens, investors and other stakeholders receive consistent and timely information as work progresses.
