Nigeria's newly appointed Minister of Power, Joseph Tegbe, has made a bold commitment to resolve the persistent national grid collapses within his first three months in office. During his Senate confirmation hearing on May 6, 2026, Tegbe assured lawmakers that he would leverage his extensive experience to implement critical reforms aimed at revitalizing the struggling power sector.
Tegbe's Pledge to Overcome Power Sector Challenges
Facing questions from Senators about the sector's long-standing issues, which have persisted despite billions of naira in investments across multiple administrations, Tegbe declared his intention to deploy his expertise to clean up the sector. He emphasized that his reforms would address inefficiencies and stabilize the national grid.
Joseph Tegbe, 60, was nominated by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to replace former minister Adebayo Adelabu, who resigned to pursue his gubernatorial ambitions in Oyo State. Tegbe holds a first-class degree in Civil Engineering from the University of Ife (now Obafemi Awolowo University), earned in 1988. His career spans the energy, finance, and investment sectors, including senior leadership roles at KPMG over two decades. He also studied at Lagos Business School, INSEAD in France, and Harvard Kennedy School and Harvard Business School.
Before his appointment, Tegbe served as Director-General and Global Liaison of the Nigeria–China Strategic Partnership (NCSP), a body focused on delivering economic outcomes. His background in finance and energy is expected to help him tackle the sector's deep-rooted problems.
Senator Warns of 'Generator Cabal'
During the screening, Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe from Abia State cautioned Tegbe about the so-called "generator cabal," which he described as "the biggest generator marketers in the world." Abaribe warned that this group would strongly resist any efforts to reform the power sector, as their business thrives on unreliable electricity supply.
While the existence of such a cabal remains unconfirmed, Tegbe steps into office amid a severe power crisis. Throughout 2026, Nigeria's generation capacity has dropped below 3,000 megawatts. Many thermal plants operate below capacity or have shut down due to gas shortages, which operators attribute to unpaid debts owed to gas suppliers. The federal government's failure to clear a backlog of subsidies on power supply, estimated at 6 trillion naira, has exacerbated the situation.
President Tinubu's administration has reviewed the government's debt to power-generating companies, placing it at 3 trillion naira, with presidential approval for payment already granted. With general elections scheduled for January 2027, Tegbe aims to deliver tangible results to support the president's re-election campaign. Nigerians, who have protested widespread blackouts, will hold him accountable for his promise to fix the grid collapse.
