By Peace Udugba -The Daily Torch Media
The Minister of Power, Joseph Tegbe, has outlined plans to stabilise Nigeria’s electricity grid, expand transmission capacity and attract fresh investment into the power sector.
Tegbe disclosed this at the opening of the Nigeria Energy Leadership Summit and Exhibition 2026, held at the Landmark Centre in Lagos, where he emphasised the need to move from policy formulation to practical implementation and measurable improvements in electricity supply.
The summit, which runs from October 27 to 29, is themed “Strengthening Power Delivery Through Execution, Coordination and Performance.”
The minister identified four key priorities for the sector: strengthening energy corridors, improving financial sustainability, optimising existing infrastructure and expanding capacity to meet future electricity demand.
He said the priorities were designed to address challenges across the generation, transmission and distribution segments of the electricity value chain, ensuring that investments translate into more reliable power for households, businesses and industries.
Tegbe identified gas supply constraints, overstretched transmission infrastructure, distribution losses and accumulated sector debts as major obstacles to improved electricity delivery.
To address these challenges, he highlighted three priority energy corridors: Lagos–Ogun, Benin–Enugu–Port Harcourt, and Abuja–Kaduna–Kano.
According to him, the strategy seeks to coordinate power generation, transmission infrastructure, distribution capacity and electricity demand within the corridors to improve supply reliability and support industrial growth.
The minister also highlighted ongoing initiatives to reduce technical and commercial losses, including the Presidential Metering Initiative (PMI), the Distribution Sector Recovery Programme (DSRP) and the Meter Acquisition Fund (MAF).
On the sector’s financial challenges, Tegbe said the government was addressing outstanding legacy liabilities, adding that ₦1.23 trillion had been paid out of an estimated ₦3.3 trillion in accumulated obligations.
He said efforts were also underway to prevent fresh financial leakages and stop additional liabilities from accumulating.
Tegbe stressed the importance of maximising the performance of existing power-sector assets while expanding infrastructure to accommodate growing electricity demand.
He added that the reforms, which align with President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, must deliver tangible economic benefits through improved industrial productivity, business expansion, investment and job creation.
The Nigeria Energy Leadership Summit and Exhibition 2026 brings together energy companies, technology providers and other industry stakeholders to showcase innovations, discuss sector challenges and explore investment opportunities across the power and broader energy value chain.
