FG Rules Out Electricity Tariff Hike, Focuses on Sector Stability

The Federal Government has assured Nigerians that it has no plans to increase electricity tariffs, despite ongoing challenges in the power sector.

Minister of Power, Joseph Tegbe, made the clarification on Monday during a media parley in Abuja to mark his first 100 days in office.

“Let me categorically state, and this is not a political statement, we have no plan to increase electricity tariffs,” he said.

Tegbe explained that the government’s priority is to improve supply reliability and strengthen the financial and physical foundations of the sector, rather than burdening consumers with higher costs.

He noted that the industry faces constraints across the value chain, including limited gas supply, ageing generation equipment, vandalised transmission infrastructure, and high losses recorded by distribution companies.

According to him, the government has focused on diagnosis and stabilisation in its first 100 days.

Achievements include restoring the 375MW Alaoji power plant to the grid after three years, commissioning transformers in Lagos and Abuja that unlocked over 900MW of transmission capacity, and raising generation above 5,000MW in recent weeks.

On the financial side, Tegbe said ₦1.23 trillion had been mobilised to address part of the ₦3.3 trillion debt backlog, while 350,000 new meters were installed, bringing total installations to over one million.

He added that litigation surrounding the AMMON metering programme had been resolved, paving the way for procurement of 1.4 million smart meters.

Looking ahead, the minister said reforms would focus on stabilising key transmission corridors in Lagos, Abuja-Kaduna-Kano, and Enugu-Port Harcourt, alongside work on a Transmission Super Grid.

Progress will be reported over the next six months based on supply reliability, billing accuracy, and resolution of consumer complaints.

“Our original commitment to visible, incremental improvements remains the benchmark,” Tegbe stressed.