The Nigerian government has failed to achieve its goal of generating 6,000 megawatts (MW) of electricity by December 2024, with the Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, attributing this setback to rampant vandalism of critical power infrastructure.
Speaking through his Special Adviser on Strategic Communication and Media Relations, Bolaji Tunji, Adelabu noted that consistent attacks on electricity towers and other transmission equipment disrupted plans that were otherwise on track.
“Unfortunately, the work of vandals set us back a bit,” Tunji said in an interview.
Current power generation in Nigeria fluctuates between 4,000 MW and 4,900 MW, far short of the 6,000 MW target. As of Saturday morning, generation stood at 4,363.79 MW, according to the latest operational report.
Adelabu had earlier expressed confidence in achieving the target, highlighting progress made since the administration took office.
He said, “If you look at the situation when the current administration took over, the generation was just about 4,000 megawatts. However, within a year, about 1,000 megawatts were added. By November 27, we again reached a target of 5,231 megawatts. Indeed, a promise of 6,000 megawatts was made, and with what we were doing, we felt it was achievable. Unfortunately, the work of vandals set us back a bit. We are not resting on our oars to ensure additional supply to the grid.”
Efforts to combat these challenges are ongoing. The Transmission Company of Nigeria disclosed that N8.8 billion had been spent this year repairing 128 vandalized transmission towers.
Meanwhile, the government is addressing other sectoral issues, including inadequate funding for subsidy payments, which currently fall far short of the required N2.3 trillion.
Bolaji said, “One of the key issues has been the cash backing of the subsidy, which relates to debt owed to generation companies and gas companies. This year’s subsidy will be approximately N2.3tn, but only N450bn was budgeted.
“Another issue has been the fragility of the transmission grid due to the level of vandalism.”
On possible solutions to improve generation in 2025, the media adviser said, “Firstly, the government will make improved provision in the budget for subsidies to ensure payments are made on time. We will continue to push to ensure the market continues to pay for the electricity consumed.
“The committee on revamping ageing equipment is also in place. The Federal Government has increased the budget allocation to the Ministry of Power and its agencies to ensure increased infrastructure investment.
“The minister continues to ensure a conducive environment for private sector participation, as this is the only way to provide the capital required for infrastructure improvements in the power sector,” he concluded.
