Nigerians are expected to experience gradual improvement in electricity supply within the next two weeks as maintenance work on a critical gas pipeline nears completion, the Chief Technical Adviser to the Minister of Power, Adebayo Olowoniyi, has said.
Olowoniyi made this known on Thursday during an appearance on Arise TV, following recent widespread power outages that have affected households, businesses and institutions across the country.
He noted that the situation was largely caused by disruptions to a major gas pipeline, stressing that the restoration process is already underway.
“One of the major gas pipelines in Nigeria was undergoing maintenance, and that process is nearing completion. We are confident that within the next two weeks, full gas pressure will be restored, allowing power plants to return to their previous levels of generation,” he said.
The aide explained that Nigeria’s electricity generation is heavily dependent on gas, which accounts for about 75 per cent of the country’s power supply, making such disruptions significant.
He added that signs of improvement are already emerging as the gas pressure begins to build up.
“I would say that from yesterday, we have started seeing gradual improvement as pressure on the pipeline increases, and this will continue steadily over the coming weeks,” Olowoniyi stated.
Speaking on the recent apology issued by the Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, he described it as a demonstration of responsible leadership rather than an admission of fault.
“The minister’s apology shows leadership. It is not necessarily about personal blame, but about taking responsibility and ensuring that solutions are provided quickly to restore power supply,” he said.
Adelabu had earlier apologised to Nigerians over the persistent outages, attributing the situation to factors beyond immediate government control while assuring that efforts were being made to resolve the issue within a two-week timeframe.
“I can assure Nigerians that with the ongoing repairs, commitments from gas suppliers and efforts of the committee set up, we should begin to see improvements in supply within two weeks,” the minister had said.
He also reiterated the Federal Government’s goal of increasing electricity generation to 6,000 megawatts before the end of 2026, describing the current challenges as temporary.
Nigeria’s power sector continues to face longstanding issues, including inadequate gas supply, ageing infrastructure, transmission constraints and financial challenges across the electricity value chain.
