Nigeria has increased its electricity generation capacity by 2,000 megawatts (MW) in just two years, a feat that previously took nearly four decades to achieve.
The Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, disclosed this during a courtesy visit to his office in Abuja by the Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE) led by its President, Margret Oguntala.
He noted that from 1984 to 2022, Nigeria’s generation capacity increased from 2,000MW to 4,000MW.
However, under President Bola Tinubu’s administration, the nation has now reached 6,003MW, demonstrating a renewed commitment to the power sector’s revitalization.
The minister, who acknowledged persistent challenges in the power sector, described the increase as a significant milestone and urged Nigerian engineers to take a more proactive role in solving the country’s energy crisis.
He challenged the NSE to reflect on why a country with a vast pool of engineering expertise still struggles with grid collapses and infrastructure failures.
Adelabu said: “NSE was established in 1958—67 years ago—and yet, we are still experiencing grid collapses. We have many engineers in Nigeria, so why is our power infrastructure still in this state? The answer is that something must change.”
He called for stronger collaboration between the NSE and the Federal Ministry of Power, emphasizing the need for technical advisory support and mentorship programmes to improve the sector’s efficiency.
He also encouraged the training of young engineers to ensure long-term sustainability in power generation and distribution.
“The Power Ministry and the NSE are naturally linked, but has this relationship translated into tangible benefits for our power infrastructure? We must change that,” the minister stated.
© Ripples Nigeria