Minister of Power, Joseph Tegbe, has said some Nigerians have jokingly asked him to “slow down” with efforts to improve electricity supply because their freezers are now working continuously.
Tegbe made the remark on Wednesday, September 16, while speaking at the commissioning of a 3-megawatt solar hybrid power project at Yakubu Gowon University, formerly the University of Abuja.
According to the minister, some communities that previously experienced prolonged power outages are now receiving up to 18 hours of electricity daily.
He said, “Places that didn’t have light at all for three months are now having 18 hours light. Some areas called me to say, look, I should slow down, that everything in their freezer is freezing.”
Tegbe, however, said the development was evidence of the purpose of having a reliable electricity supply.
“That is what freezer is meant to do. Let it freeze the food that needs to be frozen,” he added.
The minister recalled that during his Senate screening, he had promised Nigerians that noticeable improvements in electricity supply would begin within three to six months.
While highlighting the progress being made, Tegbe acknowledged the age and condition of some of Nigeria’s power infrastructure.
“Some of the infrastructure we have in the electricity and power sector are more than 40 years old. We’re systematically replacing them, phasing them out and bringing new ones,” he said.
He added that efforts were ongoing to replace ageing infrastructure with new facilities as part of measures to improve electricity supply across the country.
