- As generation dips below 3,000MW nationwide
The Federal government has attributed worsening electricity supply disruptions across Lagos, Abuja, Ogun, Kwara and Oyo states to gas shortages, maintenance challenges and reduced hydropower generation, as it moves to recover abandoned equipment to support electricity infrastructure projects.
The Minister of Power, Joseph Tegbe, acknowledged the outages on Thursday, saying the affected areas had recently recorded improvements in electricity supply before the latest disruptions.
He said preliminary assessments show that the decline was not caused by a major or systemic failure of the national grid but by operational and maintenance challenges across the electricity value chain.
The disruptions come amid growing complaints from electricity consumers over reduced supply hours, with the Nigerian Independent System Operator (NISO) identifying inadequate gas supply to thermal power stations and lower water inflows into hydropower reservoirs as major constraints on electricity generation.
Data on electricity allocation to distribution companies showed that the 11 DisCos received a combined 2,926 megawatts as of 4:41pm on Thursday, November 5, 2026.
Abuja Electricity Distribution Company received the largest allocation at 633MW, about 21.6 percent of the total. Ibadan DisCo followed with 391MW, while Port Harcourt Disco received 320MW.
Benin DisCo was allocated 264MW, Eko DisCo received 256 MW, and Enugu DisCo got 253MW. Ikeja DisCo received 249MW, while Kano, Kaduna and Jos DisCos were allocated 173MW, 167MW and 146MW, respectively.
Yola DisCo received the lowest allocation at 74MW, meaning Abuja DisCo’s allocation was more than eight times higher.
The figures represent the electricity allocated to the distribution companies at the stated time and do not necessarily reflect the amount ultimately delivered to consumers.
In a statement on Thursday, Adeola Adelabu, the Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, quoted Tegbe as saying that the ministry is working with the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN), NISO and distribution companies to address the constraints, accelerate maintenance and restore supply.
He acknowledged the impact of the outages on households, businesses and public institutions, saying the government understood consumers’ frustration over the decline in electricity supply.
The minister also announced that the Federal government had facilitated the release of 44 containers of electricity equipment from Apapa ports in Lagos, where more than 300 containers had remained stranded, some since 2014.
According to Tegbe, the clearance followed President Bola Tinubu’s directive after the last Federal Executive Council meeting, instructing the Ministry of Power to work with the Nigeria Customs Service and the Nigerian Ports Authority to resolve outstanding issues.
The President directed the agencies to reconcile outstanding charges and facilitate the release of the equipment.
Tegbe said technical experts would inspect the 44 containers to determine which equipment remained serviceable. Usable items would be deployed to ongoing electricity projects, while unusable materials would be disposed of appropriately.
The ministry, however, did not disclose the specific contents of the containers, their condition, or when the equipment would be deployed.
The latest intervention follows the recovery of 110 abandoned containers and 216 packages by the Niger Delta Power Holding Company under its Managing Director, Jennifer Adighije.
The recovery reportedly saved more than N30 billion and helped unlock about 470MW of electricity generation capacity through recovered turbines.
The latest clearance could provide additional equipment for ongoing power infrastructure projects, although its immediate contribution to electricity generation and transmission will depend on the condition of the recovered items and how quickly they can be deployed.
For now, the government faces the immediate task of addressing gas supply and hydropower constraints while working to improve the infrastructure needed to deliver more reliable electricity to consumers.
- Media Report