The minister of power, Adebayo Adelabu, on Tuesday, March 24, revealed a shocking gap in Nigeria’s power sector, disclosing that only two out of the 32 power plants connected to the national grid have firm gas supply contracts at the moment.
Adelabu, who made the disclosure in Abuja, said: “Out of about 32 power plants that we have today, only two have firm gas supply contracts with the gas suppliers. Only two.
“Others don’t have supply contracts; they only take what is supplied to them. It is called a ‘best endeavour basis.’”
The minister also apologised to Nigerians for the ongoing blackouts, which he blamed on the recent decline in electricity supply due to gas shortages at thermal plants, triggered by Middle East tensions boosting export demand.
“Owing to the crisis in the Middle East, which has increased the demand for Nigerian gas,” he explained, noting that suppliers prioritise lucrative exports over the domestic market, which is saddled with over N6 trillion in debts.
Adelabu said, “I want to officially apologise to Nigerians, coming from me as the minister of power, for this temporary issue that is causing hardship, especially during this dry season when there is so much heat everywhere.
“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.”
Despite the disruptions, Adelabu assured citizens that the situation would soon improve, offering a clear timeline for restoring better power supply.
“I can tell you, with the committee we have set up, commitments from gas suppliers, and the timeline for the repair of gas pipelines, two weeks from now we should start seeing improvements in supply two weeks,” Adelabu added.
He explained that authorities already have projections for the completion of critical repairs, including those involving facilities operated by Seplat Energy, which are expected to restore gas supply to electricity-generating plants.
According to the minister, a dedicated committee has been set up to ensure gas producers meet their domestic supply commitments an issue that has long limited power generation in the country.
Adelabu revealed that, owing to the crisis in the Middle East, which has increased the demand for Nigerian gas, exporting it is more attractive than supplying the domestic power market.
Since the domestic market owes over N6 trillion to gas vendors, suppliers have restricted sales to power plants.
“Of the N6 trillion owed to the sector, 60 per cent is owed to gas suppliers,” the minister stated, adding that this has constrained supply to power generators.
In a direct apology to suffering Nigerians, Adelabu promised swift relief.
Asked when improvements would come, he replied firmly: “Two weeks from now, we should start seeing improvements in supply.”
He highlighted government interventions to settle debts and restart flows, including N501 billion from the N4 trillion Debt Restructuring Fund (DRF), raised from the bond market and being disbursed to beneficiaries.
The minister said the ministry, after a meeting with power sector stakeholders, projected that there is a need for private sector investment in the industry.
Adelabu said that adding another 20,000MW to the grid would require a $100 billion investment across the entire value chain.
He noted, “Put together, we’re talking about over $100 billion of investments in the upstream, midstream, and downstream segments of the power sector value chain.
“Only public and private sector investment can raise the $100 billion needed for the 20,000MW, which cannot come overnight.”
The minister recalled that under the present administration, the country hit the highest available generation capacity of 6,001MW in April 2025.
He also said that last year, on March 2, National Economic Sustainability Initiative (NESI) recorded the highest energy transmission of 5,801MW.
Adelabu explained that the feat was attained because of the completion of the 700MW Zungeru power plant and the expansion of renewable energy through the mini-grid program.
He said these activities increased installed energy generation capacity to 14,000MW within two years, up from 13,000MW in 2023.
Although the transmission capacity is now 8,500MW, the target is 15,000MW.
Adelabu said, “For the first time in the history of Nigeria’s power sector, we achieved the highest available generation of 6,001 megawatts in April 2025.
“In terms of transmission and distribution, we achieved the highest energy transmitted of 5,801 megawatts on March 2, 2025.
“That is the highest ever achieved in the industry.
“This was made possible by the completion and integration of Zungeru hydro power plants of 700 megawatts, the rehabilitation of existing thermal plants, and the expansion of renewable energy through mini-grid programs.
“All these have increased our installed energy generation capacity to 14,400 megawatts within two years, up from 13,000 megawatts previously.”
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