By Daily Review Online
Joseph Tegbe has been confirmed by the Senate as Nigeria’s Minister of Power following his screening and approval during Wednesday’s plenary session.
The confirmation came after deliberations by the Senate Committee of the Whole, where lawmakers raised concerns over the country’s persistent electricity challenges despite an installed generation capacity of over 13,000 megawatts. Senators observed that actual power supply still struggles to exceed 4,500MW due to weak transmission and distribution infrastructure.
Responding to questions during the screening, Tegbe assured Nigerians that significant improvements in the power sector would become noticeable within three to six months.
According to him, both President Bola Tinubu and Nigerians expect measurable progress, adding that his administration would immediately begin reforms aimed at tackling the nation’s longstanding electricity problems.
He promised that his tenure would deliver visible results capable of transforming the sector, stressing that transparency, accountability, and independent diagnostics would guide his approach.
Tegbe said he would strengthen coordination among the Ministry of Power, the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission, the Transmission Company of Nigeria, and other industry stakeholders.
The minister-designate noted that Nigeria’s electricity crisis goes beyond technical breakdowns, involving governance issues, inadequate capitalisation, sustainability concerns, gas supply shortages, and commercial inefficiencies.
He described recurring national grid collapses as symptoms of weak transmission systems, obsolete infrastructure, unstable frequency control, and poor regulatory enforcement.
According to Tegbe, inadequate gas supply, transmission bottlenecks, and poor coordination have continued to prevent the country from generating electricity close to its installed capacity.
He pledged to stabilise the national grid, modernise infrastructure, improve commercial operations within the sector, and enforce accountability across the electricity value chain.
Tegbe also assured lawmakers that tariff reforms under his leadership would protect vulnerable Nigerians while maintaining sustainability and investor confidence in the industry.
He further promised to support investments in mini-grids, solar power expansion, and increased state participation in electricity generation and distribution under the Electricity Act.
Rejecting previous ineffective approaches to the power crisis, Tegbe said his administration would embrace innovation, broad consultations, and difficult but necessary reforms to achieve lasting solutions.
During the plenary, lawmakers warned that vested interests, including generator importers and some underperforming electricity distribution companies, could resist efforts to reform the sector.
Senate President Godswill Akpabio urged Tegbe to avoid bureaucratic bottlenecks and focus on long-term solutions instead of what he described as a contract-driven maintenance culture.
Akpabio stressed that stable electricity remains critical to industrialisation, economic growth, national security, and Nigeria’s overall development.
He also criticised exploitative billing practices by electricity providers and DSTV, questioning why Nigerians are often charged for services they do not fully utilise while consumers in other countries enjoy more flexible pay-as-you-go systems.
The Senate President urged the minister-designate to address estimated billing and protect consumers in both the power and telecommunications sectors.
Akpabio thanked President Tinubu for the nomination, describing Tegbe as the right person for the critical assignment of reforming Nigeria’s power sector.