The Chief Technical Adviser to the Minister of Power, Adebayo Olowoniyi, has assured Nigerians that electricity supply will begin to improve gradually as maintenance work on a major gas pipeline nears completion, with full restoration expected within two weeks.
Olowoniyi made the disclosure on Thursday during an appearance on Arise TV, days after the Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, apologised to Nigerians over the persistent power outages that have affected homes, businesses, schools and industries in recent weeks.
He defended the minister’s apology, describing it as a demonstration of leadership and accountability rather than an admission of personal fault.
According to him, the minister took responsibility as the head of the power sector and expressed commitment to resolving the problem as quickly as possible.
Olowoniyi explained that the recent disruptions in electricity supply were largely caused by maintenance work on a major gas pipeline supplying fuel to power plants. He noted that about 75 per cent of Nigeria’s electricity generation depends on gas.
He added that the maintenance work was nearing completion and that gas pressure would soon be fully restored to the pipelines, enabling power plants to return to their previous levels of electricity generation.
The adviser expressed optimism that the recovery process had already begun, saying Nigerians should start noticing gradual improvements as gas pressure continues to build up over the coming weeks.
The development follows Adelabu’s apology on Tuesday in Abuja, where he said the outages were due to factors beyond the government’s immediate control but assured Nigerians that electricity supply would improve within two weeks.
The minister also reaffirmed the Federal Government’s plan to increase electricity generation to 6,000 megawatts before the end of 2026, describing the current situation as a temporary setback.
Nigeria’s power sector has long faced several challenges, including inadequate gas supply, ageing infrastructure, transmission constraints and financial difficulties across the electricity value chain.
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