The Federal Government has blamed gas shortages, maintenance challenges and reduced output from hydropower stations for the recent decline in electricity supply across Lagos, Abuja, Ogun, Kwara and Oyo States.
The Minister of Power, Joseph Tegbe, said the disruptions were caused by operational difficulties across the electricity value chain and did not indicate a major failure of the national grid.
Tegbe, who acknowledged the situation on Thursday, explained that the affected areas had previously recorded improvements in power supply before the latest decline.
In a statement issued by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Adeola Adelabu, the minister said the Federal Government was working with the Transmission Company of Nigeria, the Nigerian Independent System Operator and electricity distribution companies to resolve the challenges and restore stable supply.
He also expressed concern over the impact of the disruptions on households, businesses and public institutions, acknowledging consumers’ frustration over the reduction in electricity supply hours.
Figures released by the ministry showed that the 11 electricity distribution companies received a combined allocation of 2,926 megawatts as of 4:41 p.m. on Thursday, November 5, 2026.
Abuja Electricity Distribution Company received the highest allocation of 633 megawatts, followed by Ibadan Disco with 391 megawatts and Port Harcourt Disco with 320 megawatts.
Benin Disco received 264 megawatts, Eko 256 megawatts, Enugu 253 megawatts and Ikeja 249 megawatts. Kano, Kaduna, Jos and Yola distribution companies received 173, 167, 146 and 74 megawatts, respectively.
The ministry clarified that the figures represented allocations to the distribution companies and did not necessarily translate into the actual electricity delivered to consumers.
In a separate development, Tegbe announced that the Federal Government had facilitated the clearance of 44 containers of electricity equipment from the Apapa ports in Lagos.
More than 300 containers had reportedly remained stranded at the ports, with some held since 2014.
He said the clearance followed President Bola Tinubu’s directive after the last Federal Executive Council meeting, which required the Ministry of Power to work with the Nigeria Customs Service and the Nigerian Ports Authority to reconcile outstanding charges and facilitate the release of the equipment.
The minister added that technical experts would inspect the containers before serviceable materials were deployed to ongoing electricity projects, while unusable items would be disposed of appropriately.
The development follows the recovery of 110 abandoned containers and 216 packages by the Niger Delta Power Holding Company under its Managing Director, Jennifer Adighije.
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The recovery reportedly saved more than 30 billion naira and helped unlock about 470 megawatts of electricity generation capacity through recovered turbines.
However, the Ministry of Power has not disclosed the specific contents of the 44 containers recently cleared from Apapa, their condition or the timeline for their deployment.
