The Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, has apologised to Nigerians over ongoing nationwide power outages, acknowledging the hardship caused to households, businesses and industries.

Adelabu delivered the apology on Tuesday during a press conference in Abuja, as public frustration continues to grow over erratic electricity supply amid intense dry-season heat.

“I want to apologise to Nigerians, officially now, coming from me as the Minister of Power, for this temporary issue that is leading to hardship being experienced, especially during this dry season,” he said.

The power minister attributed the crisis largely to factors he said were beyond the Federal Government’s immediate control, particularly disruptions in gas supply to power plants, pipeline maintenance challenges and longstanding liquidity issues within the sector.

According to Adelabu, the government has set up a special committee to monitor compliance by gas producers with domestic supply obligations, while also working to improve payment structures to incentivise supply.

Despite the setbacks, he assured Nigerians that the situation would improve soon, giving a timeline for recovery.

“I can tell you, with the committee that we have set up, and commitments from gas suppliers, and the timeline for repair of the gas pipelines, two weeks from now, we should start seeing improvements in supply. Two weeks,” he said.

Adelabu also reiterated the Federal Government’s target of increasing power generation to 6,000 megawatts before the end of 2026, describing the current disruption as temporary, despite months of persistent outages. 

The comments come amid uncertainty over the political future of the minister, who may leave office before the promised improvements are expected to materialise.

The two-time governorship candidate in Oyo State, who has shown interest in the state’s 2027 governorship race, did not rule out resigning from his position, in line with a directive by President Bola Tinubu requiring all political appointees seeking elective office in next year’s general election to step down by March 31, 2026.

Responding to questions at the same briefing, Adelabu said his immediate focus remained on addressing the country’s electricity challenges but left his political future open.

“We have between now and March 31. If I am interested in the gubernatorial contest in Oyo State, it is all about service. Whether I will be here or I will be leaving is a matter of time,” he added. 

With millions of Nigerians impacted and businesses disrupted by the blackout crisis, many will hope the two-week timeline for improvement comes to fruition.