Tegbe Blames Sabotage and Gas Shortage Problems for Power Outages in Lagos, Abuja

The Minister of Power, Joseph Tegbe, has blamed planned maintenance at Egbin Power Station, gas shortages and the sabotage of transmission lines for recent electricity outages affecting parts of Nigeria.

Tegbe disclosed this in a statement titled “Update on Power Situation” on Friday, November 6, but posted to his X account on Saturday November 7, acknowledging the hardship caused to households and businesses in four affected states, including Lagos and the Federal Capital Territory.

He said the problems had reduced the amount of electricity available on the national grid, forcing operators to introduce load shedding in some areas.

“Planned maintenance at Egbin Power Station and constraints in gas supply to some thermal power stations have reduced the amount of electricity available on the national grid,” he said.

The minister added that “sabotage of key transmission lines has also restricted the use of alternative routes to supply some locations, especially Lagos.”

Egbin Power Station, located in Lagos, is Nigeria's largest thermal power plant and contributes about 16 per cent of electricity generated on the national grid.

Tegbe assured consumers that the government was working with electricity operators to restore affected generating units, improve gas supply and repair damaged infrastructure.

“My team and I are working to return the affected generating units to service in phases, with the first units coming back online within the next 48 to 72 hours,” he said.

He added, “We are also working with operators to improve gas supply and accelerate repairs to the damaged infrastructure.”

The minister's explanation follows a November 5 clarification by the Nigerian Independent System Operator, which blamed reduced electricity generation on gas supply constraints and lower water inflows into hydroelectric reservoirs.

The Transmission Company of Nigeria also recently disputed Ikeja Electric's claim that grid instability caused some outages, insisting that reduced generation was responsible for the supply shortfall.

Tegbe thanked affected consumers for their patience and promised further updates as electricity supply improves.