The Minister of Power, Joseph Tegbe, has acknowledged worsening electricity supply disruptions across Lagos, Abuja, Ogun, Kwara and Oyo states, as the Federal Government begins recovering abandoned power equipment with the release of 44 containers from Apapa ports in Lagos.
Tegbe said the affected locations had experienced noticeable improvements in electricity supply before the latest disruptions, which he blamed on maintenance and operational difficulties, gas shortages at thermal power stations and declining output from hydroelectric plants.
The development comes amid increasing complaints from electricity consumers over reduced power supply hours, with the Nigerian Independent System Operator identifying insufficient gas supply and declining water inflows into hydroelectric reservoirs as major constraints on national grid generation.
Electricity distribution figures showed that the 11 distribution companies received a combined allocation of 2,926 megawatts as of 4:41pm on Thursday, November 5, 2026.
Abuja Electricity Distribution Company received the largest allocation of 633MW, representing approximately 21.6 per cent of the total power distributed among the DisCos.
Ibadan Disco followed with 391MW, while Port Harcourt Disco received 320MW. Benin Disco was allocated 264MW, while Eko Disco received 256MW.
Enugu Disco received 253MW, slightly ahead of Ikeja Disco, which was allocated 249MW.
Among the remaining distribution companies, Kano Disco received 173MW, Kaduna Disco 167MW and Jos Disco 146MW, while Yola Disco recorded the lowest allocation of 74MW.
The figures showed a substantial disparity in electricity allocations, with Abuja Disco receiving more than eight times the amount allocated to Yola Disco.
However, the allocations represent the power assigned to the distribution companies at the stated time and do not necessarily reflect the electricity ultimately delivered to consumers.
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In a statement issued on Thursday by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Adeola Adelabu, the minister disclosed that preliminary assessments indicated that the disruptions were not caused by a major or systemic failure of the national grid.
He said the Federal Government was collaborating with the Transmission Company of Nigeria, NISO and electricity distribution companies to address the challenges and restore normal supply.
“The Ministry acknowledges the inconvenience this has caused households, businesses and public institutions, and understands the frustration of Nigerians who had begun to see the benefits of steadier supply.
“We recognise what every hour without power means for individuals, families and businesses, and we do not take it lightly,” Tegbe said.
The minister explained that maintenance and operational challenges across parts of the electricity value chain, alongside reduced power generation, were responsible for the decline in supply.
He said he had engaged relevant agencies and distribution companies to resolve the constraints, speed up ongoing maintenance and keep consumers updated on restoration efforts.
The minister’s acknowledgement of the outages coincided with the Federal Government’s announcement that 44 containers of electricity equipment had been cleared from Apapa ports, where more than 300 containers had remained stranded, some since 2014.
Tegbe said the clearance followed President Bola Tinubu’s directive after the last Federal Executive Council meeting, instructing the Ministry of Power to collaborate with the Nigeria Customs Service and the Nigerian Ports Authority to resolve the outstanding issues.
According to him, the President directed the agencies to reconcile outstanding charges and facilitate the release of the equipment.
The minister disclosed that the first 44 containers had been released following the intervention, adding that technical experts would inspect their contents before deployment.
He said usable equipment would be deployed to ongoing electricity projects, while items considered unserviceable would be appropriately disposed of.
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.
The recovery reportedly saved more than N30bn and helped unlock approximately 470 megawatts of electricity generation capacity through recovered turbines.
The latest clearance is expected to provide additional equipment for ongoing power infrastructure projects. However, the ministry did not disclose the specific contents of the 44 containers, their condition or the expected deployment timeline.
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