The Minister of Power, Joseph Tegbe, says some Nigerians have asked him to “slow down” the recent improvements in electricity supply, joking that 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, areas that previously experienced prolonged power outages are now receiving significantly longer hours of electricity.
“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. That is what freezer is meant to do. Let it freeze the food that needs to be frozen.
Tegbe recalled that during his Senate screening, he had pledged that Nigerians would begin to witness noticeable improvements in electricity supply within three to six months.
He, however, acknowledged the infrastructure challenges confronting the power sector, noting that some electricity facilities across the country are more than four decades old.
“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.
