Democracy Day: Tinubu Defends Power Sector Reforms, Vows Improved Electricity Supply

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Friday highlighted reforms in Nigeria’s electricity sector, saying his administration inherited a deeply troubled industry but has taken steps to address longstanding challenges and expand access to power.
In his Democracy Day address, the President described the state of the sector when his administration took office in 2023.
“By 2023, when we came on board, the electricity sector was characterised by chronic generation shortfalls, an unreliable gas supply and transmission infrastructure so fragile that it could not evacuate available power,” Tinubu said.
He noted that distribution companies “were burdened by massive losses and a metering deficit of over four million,” while “the value chain was drowning in legacy debt.”
According to the President, the consequences were severe, resulting in “a sector that generated less than the 13,500 Megawatts installed capacity, a sector that transmitted less than it generated, distributed less than it transmitted and collected revenue far below what it needed to sustain itself.”
To tackle the challenges, Tinubu pointed to legislative and policy measures undertaken by his administration.
“To address the problems besetting the sector, I signed the Electricity Act, which grants states authority to generate, transmit and distribute power,” he said.
The President added that the Presidential Power Sector Task Force “is working hard to reduce the metering deficit” and has been authorised “to raise N4 trillion bond to settle verified legacy debts.”
He also cited the role of the Rural Electrification Agency in expanding electricity access across the country.
“The Rural Electrification Agency, supported by the World Bank and the African Development Bank, has deployed off-grid and mini-grid power to underserved communities, universities, markets and hospitals,” Tinubu said.
Reaffirming his administration’s commitment to improving power supply, the President described electricity as essential to national development and democratic governance.
“Electricity is a democratic dividend we owe every Nigerian. We intend to deliver it,” he said.