Nigeria’s new Minister of Power, Joseph Olasunkanmi Tegbe, has said he cannot promise Nigerians uninterrupted electricity immediately but pledged to deliver noticeable improvements in the sector within a short period.
Tegbe made the remarks on Wednesday during his screening before the Nigerian Senate.
Addressing lawmakers, the minister-designate said he would rather focus on realistic and measurable progress than make promises he cannot keep.
“If I am confirmed, the Senate President, Distinguished Senators, I will not stand here and say tomorrow I will give you 24-hour electricity,” Tegbe said.
“But what I will tell you about the very honest approach, I will ensure that visible improvement is seen across the country in the shortest time possible. I will commit that we will replace uncertainties for Nigerians with clarity.”
Tegbe identified distribution challenges as one of the major issues affecting the power sector, noting that inefficiencies remain across the electricity value chain.
The former Director-General and global liaison of the Nigeria-China Strategic Partnership (NCSP) also highlighted the country’s metering gap, which he said continues to weaken consumer confidence in the sector.
“Distribution is inconsistent and often misaligned with other expectations. Metering gap continues to erode trust. Today, we have 44% metering gap in Nigeria,” he said.
Despite the challenges, Tegbe commended ongoing government efforts to improve access to electricity meters.
“But our government is doing extremely well. In the last one year, we have grown a million metres across the country. We need to run faster to ensure that we make more progress,” he added.
The minister-designate also pointed to structural and financial issues affecting the sector, saying reforms must address both governance and funding concerns.
“The governance and financial structure of this sector remains under pressure.
“In simple terms, we are trying to build a modern power system on the further evolution of the financial structure.”
His comments came shortly after Senator Danjuma Goje suggested that Nigeria consider handing over the country’s power sector to China or another advanced country for 20 years to achieve stable electricity.
Tegbe is expected to assume office formally following Senate confirmation.
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