The Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, has attributed the failure to achieve the target of generating 6,000 megawatts of electricity by December 2024 to rising incidents of vandalism targeting critical power transmission infrastructure.
Adelabu explained that the government had implemented measures and was on track to meet the milestone, but repeated vandalisation of electricity towers disrupted progress.
This was disclosed by the Special Adviser on Strategic Communication and Media Relations, Bolaji Tunji, during an exclusive interview with Sunday PUNCH. Tunji outlined how the projections fell short, citing the challenges posed by infrastructure sabotage.
Currently, Nigeria’s power generation fluctuates between 4,000 MW and 4,900 MW, supplied by 19 power generation plants to a population of about 200 million. For instance, as of 6 a.m. on Saturday, the country’s generation stood at 4,363.79 MW, according to the latest operational report.
Earlier this year, Adelabu had assured Nigerians that power generation would hit 6,000 MW by year-end, noting significant improvements in the sector. However, frequent grid collapses and persistent vandalism undermined these efforts. Despite these challenges, the minister’s adviser highlighted that approximately 1,000 MW had been added since the current administration assumed office.
He said, “If you look at the situation when the current administration took over, the generation was just about 4,000 megawatts. However, within a year, about 1,000 megawatts were added. By November 27, we again reached a target of 5,231 megawatts. Indeed, a promise of 6,000 megawatts was made, and with what we were doing, we felt it was achievable. Unfortunately, the work of vandals set us back a bit. We are not resting on our oars to ensure additional supply to the grid.”
As of November 2024, the Transmission Company of Nigeria reported spending N8.8 billion to repair and restore 128 vandalized transmission towers nationwide.
The company also highlighted another challenge in the sector: inadequate cash backing for subsidy payments. While N450 billion was allocated for the current year, the debt accrued for subsidy payments had risen to N2.3 trillion.
Bolaji said, “One of the key issues has been the cash backing of the subsidy, which relates to debt owed to generation companies and gas companies. This year’s subsidy will be approximately N2.3tn, but only N450bn was budgeted.
“Another issue has been the fragility of the transmission grid due to the level of vandalism.”
On possible solutions to improve generation in 2025, the media adviser said, “Firstly, the government will make improved provision in the budget for subsidies to ensure payments are made on time. We will continue to push to ensure the market continues to pay for the electricity consumed.
“The committee on revamping ageing equipment is also in place. The Federal Government has increased the budget allocation to the Ministry of Power and its agencies to ensure increased infrastructure investment.
“The minister continues to ensure a conducive environment for private sector participation, as this is the only way to provide the capital required for infrastructure improvements in the power sector,” he concluded.
In the proposed 2025 budget, the Ministry of Power allocated N269.74 billion for special intervention power projects, N47.35 billion for constructing transformers and substations, and N36.82 billion as counterpart funding for designated transmission lines and substation projects.
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