The Federal Government has moved to douse growing fears of another electricity tariff hike, declaring that there is no plan to increase electricity tariffs despite mounting financial pressures in the power sector.
Minister of Power, Joseph Tegbe, gave the assurance on Monday in Abuja during a media parley marking his first 100 days in office, covering the period from June 8 to September 16.
Tegbe said he had received several calls over the weekend following reports alleging that the Federal Government was preparing to raise electricity tariffs.
But the minister dismissed the reports, describing them as politically motivated and insisting that the administration’s immediate priority was to improve electricity supply rather than impose additional financial burdens on consumers.
According to him, the government is focused on fixing the structural weaknesses crippling the electricity market while pursuing measures that would expand access to reliable and affordable power.
Government Turns To Renewables, Infrastructure Audit
Tegbe said the administration was also accelerating investments in renewable energy as part of efforts to diversify Nigeria’s power sources and strengthen electricity supply.
He disclosed that the government had commenced a comprehensive audit of power infrastructure nationwide to identify critical deficiencies and determine where urgent interventions were required.
The exercise, he explained, would enable the government to establish the actual condition of infrastructure across the electricity value chain and tackle bottlenecks affecting supply.
The minister’s declaration comes against the backdrop of persistent concerns over the financial sustainability of Nigeria’s electricity market, particularly the cost of government intervention and the ability of the sector to attract the investment required to close its infrastructure gaps.
Tegbe, however, cautioned that Nigeria’s power crisis could not be solved by simply increasing generation capacity.
He said the sector was plagued by interconnected problems across the entire value chain, from generation to transmission and distribution, requiring coordinated interventions rather than isolated solutions.
The minister maintained that the government’s approach would therefore focus on addressing the underlying structural weaknesses while improving electricity availability to consumers.
His comments are likely to provide temporary relief to electricity consumers who have been bracing for another increase in tariffs amid continuing concerns over the cost of living and household energy expenses.
