Nigeria’s Minister-designate for Power, Joseph Olasunkanmi Tegbe, has refuted reports alleging that he promised to fix the country’s troubled power grid within three months.
In a statement issued through his spokesperson, Adeola Adelabu, Tegbe described the claim as a distortion of comments he made during his Senate screening on May 6, 2026.
“Our attention has been drawn to inaccurate media reports alleging that the Honourable Minister-designate, Joseph Olasunkanmi Tegbe, promised to fix Nigeria’s power grid within three months,” the statement said.
It added, “This claim is a clear misrepresentation of his remarks. At his Senate screening on May 6, 2026, Mr Tegbe made no such commitment.”
According to the statement, Tegbe only explained that timelines for reforms in the power sector were still being developed and would depend on consultations with stakeholders as well as technical assessments of the sector.
The minister-designate reportedly assured lawmakers that efforts to stabilise the national grid would begin within his first 100 days in office, while broader reforms could take up to one year to implement.
The proposed reforms, according to his aide, would focus on restoring confidence in the power sector, resolving gas supply issues and improving electricity metering nationwide.
During the screening, Tegbe was quoted as saying, “My promise to this chamber is that Nigerians will see visible improvement in the sector.”
He also pledged to modernise electricity infrastructure, strengthen accountability across the power value chain and improve the commercial framework of the industry.
On electricity tariffs, Tegbe assured senators that any reform measures would balance consumer protection with the need to attract investors and sustain the sector.
The statement further noted that the minister-designate remained committed to transparency and constructive engagement with the media in addressing Nigeria’s longstanding electricity challenges.
President Bola Tinubu recently nominated Tegbe as Minister of Power following the removal of former minister Adebayo Adelabu during the cabinet reshuffle announced by the Presidency.
Tegbe, an engineer and public policy expert, appeared before the Senate where he outlined plans to tackle grid instability, metering gaps and infrastructure deficits in the electricity sector.
