In a country where electricity is treated as a luxury rather than a basic necessity, the Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, has once again taken to the podium not to announce solutions, but to beg.
But let’s be clear: this is not leadership. This is desperation wrapped in empty rhetoric.
Why is a federal minister begging citizens for understanding when his primary job is to deliver power?
Nigerians are not asking for sympathy or patience, we are demanding electricity. Imagine living without light in 40-degree heat, food spoiling in fridges, children studying by candlelight, and small businesses forced to shut down because generators have become unaffordable. Begging will not fix a single faulty transformer. Excuses will not restart a single gas-fired plant.
The Human Cost: A Nation in Perpetual Darkness
The timing of this apology could not be more tone-deaf. As the dry season intensifies, demand for cooling surges, yet supply collapses. Recent data from the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) shows average generation hovering at a dismal 4,300 MW in February 2026, the lowest in 21 months with plant availability at just 32% of installed capacity. Despite claims of boosting installed capacity to over 14,000 MW, actual output remains stuck far below what is needed for a population of over 200 million.
For ordinary Nigerians, this is not statistics, it is survival. In Ibadan and across Oyo State, where Adelabu himself hails from, families endure days without power while paying skyrocketing bills. Small and medium enterprises (SMEs), the backbone of the economy, are collapsing. Business owners report production halting, profits evaporating, and jobs disappearing as they choose between diesel generators (now a luxury) and total shutdown.
Empty Promises and a Pattern of Failure
Adelabu’s briefing was not all apology, it came laced with the usual assurances. A special committee is monitoring gas suppliers. Repairs on Seplat Energy pipelines are underway. Improvements expected “in two weeks.” Power generation, transmission, and distribution will all get better. And by the end of 2026, Nigeria will hit 6,000 MW. He even invoked 2025 as a banner year when “Nigerians commended us for a good job well done,” promising to “do more, to even do better.”
How many times have we heard this script? In February 2024, the same minister urged patience over blackouts. Fast-forward to 2026, and generation has fallen further—from 5,285 MW available in early 2024 to 4,384 MW now. Post-privatization, Nigeria has lost over 11,200 MW of potential capacity despite billions invested. Available generation capacity has shrunk 15% since 2020.
Enough of the Begging, Nigerians Demand Accountability
It is time for concrete action, not contrition:
• Immediate gas supply enforcement: Penalize defaulting producers and fast-track repairs—no more “two weeks” delays.
• Transparency on spending: Publish detailed accounts of power sector investments and why output lags installed capacity.
• Real targets with deadlines: Forget vague 6,000 MW by year-end. Deliver measurable gains now or admit failure.
• Leadership, not lip service: If the minister cannot guarantee stable supply, he should resign.
Nigeria deserves a Power Minister who fixes problems, not one who apologizes for them.
Nigerians Deserve Power, Not Pleas
Minister Adelabu, your apology is noted, but it changes nothing. Nigerians are resilient, but our patience is not infinite.
We do not need your sympathy; we need your competence. Stop begging us to endure hardship you were appointed to end. Fix the pipelines. Secure the gas. Upgrade the grid. Deliver the megawatts.
Until then, every blackout is a vote of no confidence in this administration’s energy promises. The heat is rising—not just from the sun, but from public anger. Do better, or the next apology may come too late.
The darkness is not inevitable. It is a policy failure. And no amount of begging will make it go away.
E-signed: Hon Comrade James Onifade
Advocate for Good Governance and A Better Judicial System
