Power Minister Under Fire For Lying About Nigeria’s Electricity Supply

Power Minister Under Fire For Lying

 

OpenLife News reports that Minister of Power, Joseph Tegbe, has sparked outrage after claiming that some Nigerians told him to slow down power supply because their freezers are now freezing too much — a claim that contradicts the daily reality of millions of Nigerians currently living in darkness.

Tegbe made the controversial statement in Abuja on Wednesday at the commissioning of the 3-megawatt solar hybrid power project at Yakubu Gowon University, formerly University of Abuja.

While the country continues to battle epileptic power supply, frequent grid collapses, and months-long blackout in many communities, the Minister claimed Nigerians were now begging him to slow down.“Places that didn’t have light at all for three months are now having 18 hours light.

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. Let it freeze the food that needs to be frozen,” Tegbe said.

The statement has been described by Nigerians on social media as insensitive and false, as most households cannot boast of 4 hours of uninterrupted power supply, let alone 18 hours.

Residents of major cities including Lagos, Abuja, Kano, and Port Harcourt report that they spend more on diesel and petrol than on electricity bills from DisCos, while small businesses have collapsed due to lack of power.

Despite the obvious darkness, the Minister insisted he had promised during his Senate screening that Nigerians would begin to see noticeable improvements in electricity supply within three to six months.

Tegbe also admitted what Nigerians already know — that the country’s power infrastructure is decaying, with some equipment over 40 years old, and that vandalism has worsened the crisis.

He disclosed that three major transmission towers in Birnin Kebbi were recently brought down by vandals, cutting supply to Kebbi and parts of Niger Republic, and that vandals sell the stolen parts as scrap.

According to him, government has set up a joint committee with EFCC, Police and NSCDC to protect power infrastructure.

Meanwhile, the 3MW project commissioned at Yakubu Gowon University is expected to power lecture halls, labs and streetlights for over 58,000 students, with 6,078 solar panels and 388 streetlights.

For many Nigerians however, one solar project in a university does not translate to the Minister’s claim that freezers are now freezing too much across the country, while the nation remains in darkness.