Minister of Power Joseph Tegbe said President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration is prioritising power-sector diversification as Nigeria seeks to narrow a persistent electricity supply shortfall. Tegbe made the remarks on Thursday after holding discussions with stakeholders across the electricity supply industry.
The minister said the Federal Government will pursue solutions to the country’s power challenges “without leaving any stone unturned.” He added that the government is working to reposition electricity from a purely social service into an economic opportunity for Nigerians, arguing that the transformation is central to broader national development goals.
Tegbe framed the administration’s energy diversification strategy as more than infrastructure expansion. “Our approach to energy diversification under the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu reflects a simple but profound truth: rural electrification is no longer about extending wires into communities. It is about extending opportunity. It is about creating prosperity. It is about enabling enterprise. It is about transforming electricity from a social service into an economic catalyst,” he said.
He also cautioned against defining success only by technical output measures. “When we speak about electricity, we often measure success by megawatts generated, kilometers of distribution lines constructed, or the number of households connected. Those are important indicators. But they are not the ultimate objective. The true measure of success is what electricity enables,” Tegbe said.
During the engagement, Abba Aliyu, managing director of the Rural Electrification Agency (REA), said closing Nigeria’s electricity supply gap will depend on stronger coordination between federal agencies and the private sector, describing improved synergy as vital to progress.
