The Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, has issued a “public apology” to Nigerians regarding the severe and “persistent outages” that have plagued the country over the past month.
Speaking at a press conference in Abuja on Tuesday, March 24, 2026, the Minister admitted that the blackout has worsened hardships for households, schools, and businesses during the current intense dry-season heat.
“I want to apologise to Nigerians, officially now, coming from me as the Minister of Power, for this temporary issue that is leading to hardship being experienced, especially during this dry season, where there is so much heat everywhere,” Adelabu stated.
He acknowledged the widespread impact of the crisis, noting that “businesses are being affected, schools have been affected, and industries have been affected.”
While the Minister claimed the situation was due to factors “actually beyond our control,” he provided a specific timeline for relief.
He assured the public that following commitments from gas suppliers and pipeline repair schedules—specifically involving Seplat Energy—the situation would stabilize soon. “Two weeks from now, we should start seeing improvements in supply. Two weeks,” he promised.
To prevent future disruptions, Adelabu revealed that a special committee has been formed to ensure gas companies meet their obligations. “We already have a committee that is working on this to track compliance with the domestic supply obligations of these gas companies to our power plants,” he explained.
The Minister maintained that the government is working “24/7 to make sure that we go back to the trajectory of 2025, when Nigerians commended us for a good job well done.”
He concluded by reiterating the administration’s goal to reach 6,000 megawatts of electricity generation before the end of 2026, viewing the current crisis as a “temporary deviation” from their long-term plan.
