‘We’re On It’ – Power Minister Begs Nigerians Over Blackout

Minister of Power Adebayo Adelabu has publicly apologised to Nigerians over the prolonged electricity outages that have gripped the country for weeks.

He spoke during a press briefing in Abuja on Tuesday, admitting the crisis has piled fresh hardship on homes, businesses, schools and industries at the height of the dry-season heat.

“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,” Adelabu 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 due to some factors that are actually beyond our control.”

NaijaChoice News reports that the minister gave a firm timeline for relief. He said a committee set up to monitor gas supply, together with fresh commitments from suppliers and repairs on key pipelines, should bring visible improvement within two weeks.

“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 pointed to ongoing work on facilities linked to Seplat Energy, which will restore gas flow to several power plants once completed. The minister also revealed that a dedicated team is now tracking how gas producers meet their domestic supply obligations to the plants.

Improved payment arrangements, he added, will encourage the companies to deliver more gas to the grid. Nigeria’s electricity sector depends almost entirely on gas-fired stations, and shortages caused by pipeline vandalism, maintenance delays and payment disputes have repeatedly crippled generation.

Adelabu insisted the government is working round the clock to stabilise the system.

“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.

He reaffirmed the Federal Government’s target of pushing electricity output to 6,000 megawatts before the end of 2026, describing the current dip as a temporary setback.

“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,” Adelabu assured.

The minister added that the administration is not only aiming to recover lost ground but to surpass earlier gains.

“If we could provide such service in 2025, this is 2026, we are willing to do more, to even do better,” he said.

Many Nigerians, especially small business owners and households in cities like Lagos and Abuja, continue to rely on costly diesel generators amid the outages. The apology comes as public frustration peaks, with residents demanding faster action on the long-standing power challenges that have dogged the country for years.