Nigeria’s electricity supply appears to be improving in some areas. However, Power Minister Joseph Tegbe says some Nigerians now have a funny complaint.
According to Tegbe, residents in areas that once suffered long outages now enjoy up to 18 hours of power daily. Some even asked him to slow down because their freezers now work almost non-stop.
“Places that didn’t have light at all for three months are now having 18 hours light,” Tegbe said.
“Some areas called me to say, look, I should slow down, that everything in their freezer is freezing. That is what freezer is meant to do.”
The minister made the remarks on Wednesday in Abuja. He spoke while commissioning a 3-megawatt solar hybrid project at Yakubu Gowon University. The university was formerly known as the University of Abuja.
Tegbe also recalled his promise during his Senate screening. He had said Nigerians would notice better electricity within three to six months. Meanwhile, he admitted that old infrastructure remains a major challenge. Some power facilities, he said, are more than 40 years old.
“We’re systematically replacing them, phasing them out and bringing new ones,” he said.
Beyond ageing equipment, vandalism also threatens the power sector. Tegbe revealed that vandals destroyed three major transmission towers in Birnin Kebbi.
The attackers reportedly damaged the towers by cutting their foundations and removing parts for scrap. Tegbe said the government has now formed a joint committee to protect critical electricity infrastructure.
The committee includes the EFCC, Police and NSCDC. The minister also said the government wants to ensure that electricity vandalism receives serious criminal treatment.
