At least 150 million Nigerians now enjoy access to electricity, while 80 million remain underserved, according to the Minister of Power, Adedayo Adelabu. He disclosed this on Thursday during the 2025 Ministerial Sectoral Update Conference in Abuja, where he addressed stakeholders alongside the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Malagi.
Adelabu highlighted Nigeria’s progress under the World Bank and African Development Bank’s “Mission 300” initiative, which aims to provide power to 300 million Africans by 2030. He noted that Nigeria is projected to account for 25% of that figure, roughly 75 million people.
“Out of the target population, we’ve already achieved access for 150 million Nigerians. The remaining challenge lies in delivering reliable and affordable power,” Adelabu stated.
Despite the growth in access, he stressed that consistency and affordability are still lacking, pushing many consumers, especially businesses, to seek alternative power sources.
Addressing the country’s power generation, Adelabu announced that capacity has risen to 6,003 megawatts, an increase of 1,700 MW within 18 months of President Tinubu’s administration. He projected that Nigeria could reach 8,000 MW before the end of the administration’s first term in 2027.
He also confirmed that the Kaduna Power Plant is expected to begin operations before 2025 ends, and assured Nigerians that efforts to close the national metering gap are underway.
However, grid reliability remains a concern. The national grid suffered at least 12 collapses in 2024, disrupting power supply in major cities like Lagos, Abuja, and Kano. Adelabu blamed outdated infrastructure, vandalism, and inconsistent gas supply. To address this, he proposed decentralising the national grid into regional networks to minimise the impact of collapses.
Speaking on power tariff reforms, Adelabu revealed that the April 2024 hike for Band A consumers has yielded ₦700 billion in revenue. The tariff was increased from ₦68/kWh to ₦225/kWh, affecting 1.9 million users. The adjustment, according to NERC, is expected to slash Nigeria’s projected ₦2.9 trillion subsidy bill by ₦1.14 trillion.
Despite these efforts, critics, including the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria and the Abuja Chamber of Commerce, argue that the hike adds economic pressure on struggling citizens and SMEs.
The minister also raised concerns about Nigeria’s heavy reliance on imported power equipment, which continues to strain the country’s foreign reserves. He urged international financiers to support the strengthening of the national grid alongside renewable and off-grid solutions, cautioning against a one-sided focus on solar and mini-grid options.
“Until we fix the grid and make power stable and affordable, Nigerians will keep turning to generators and off-grid systems,” Adelabu concluded.
