Electricity: 'Nigerians Tell Me to Slow Down, Freezers Are Freezing' - Power Minister

Minister of Power, Joseph Tegbe, says improvements in electricity supply are becoming noticeable in parts of the country, with some Nigerians reportedly asking him to “slow down” because their freezers are now running continuously.

Tegbe made the remarks 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 areas that previously experienced prolonged power outages are now receiving up to 18 hours of electricity daily.

“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 said.

He added humorously: “That is what freezer is meant to do. Let it freeze the food that needs to be frozen.”

The minister recalled that during his Senate screening, he had promised that Nigerians would begin to notice improvements in electricity supply within three to six months.

Tegbe, however, acknowledged the challenges confronting the power sector, noting that some of the country’s electricity infrastructure is 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.