The Senate on Wednesday 6th May confirmed Joseph Olasunkanmi Tegbe as Minister of Power following his successful screening at plenary, where he faced pointed questions about Nigeria’s chronic electricity crisis.
Tegbe came into the chamber making no extravagant promises. “We will not do things the way we used to do before. I will not promise what I cannot deliver,” he told lawmakers, setting a deliberately sober tone from the outset. He acknowledged that the sector has no quick fix, but insisted there is what he described as a disciplined path to resolving it.
Tegbe outlined his immediate priorities, pledging to begin diagnostics of the sector’s problems and robust stakeholder engagement as a first step, with some improvements expected within three months. Broader reforms including restoring sector credibility, improving gas supply, and accelerating metering, he said would materialise within the first year.
On a firm commitment, he told the Senate: “My promise to Nigeria and to this chamber is that Nigerians will see visible improvement in the sector.” He added that he expected improvements to emerge within three to six months, and pledged to conduct independent diagnostics of the sector while deepening transparency and accountability in public sector performance.
Tegbe was candid about the scale of the problem, stressing that Nigeria’s electricity crisis extends far beyond technical failures, encompassing governance, capitalisation, sustainability, gas supply, and commercial inefficiencies. He described recurring grid collapse as evidence of weak transmission systems, aging infrastructure, unstable frequency control, and inadequate regulatory enforcement, and noted that gas shortages, transmission bottlenecks, and poor coordination continue to keep electricity generation well below installed national capacity.
He pledged to stabilise the national grid, modernise infrastructure, improve commercial frameworks, and enforce accountability across the electricity value chain, while also promising that tariff reforms would protect vulnerable households while balancing sustainability and investor confidence.
Tegbe’s confirmation comes after the resignation of former Minister of Power Adebayo Adelabu, who stepped down in March 2026 to pursue the Oyo State governorship race ahead of the 2027 elections.
Senate President Godswill Akpabio, in his remarks, urged Tegbe to avoid bureaucratic traps and prioritise lasting solutions over a contract-driven maintenance culture, emphasising that stable electricity remains essential for industrialisation, national security, and economic growth.
