Alake Defends Tinubu’s Electricity Pledge: “Whichever Way, By All Means Necessary, You Will Have Electricity”

The All Progressives Congress Presidential Campaign Council has said President Bola Tinubu has yet to fully resolve Nigeria’s electricity challenges, but his administration remains committed to fulfilling its campaign promise of providing Nigerians with stable and reliable power supply.

The council’s spokesperson, Dele Alake, acknowledged that fixing the country’s power sector remained unfinished work, three years after Tinubu assumed office.

Alake, defended the administration’s record, saying the President had taken consistent steps to address the structural, institutional and financial challenges that have hindered the sector for more than five decades.

In a statement on Sunday titled ‘ Tinubu’s Electricity Pledge Must Be Considered in Full Context’, Alake said Nigerians should assess the President’s 2023 campaign promise alongside the administration’s interventions and the concluding qualification he made when he gave the pledge.

At a meeting with members of the Organised Private Sector in Lagos ahead of the 2023 general elections, Tinubu had promised to end estimated billing and ensure stable electricity supply.

“Whichever way, by all means necessary, you will have electricity, and you will not pay for estimated bills anymore. A promise made will be a promise kept,” Tinubu had said.

He added that Nigerians should not re-elect him if he failed to fulfil the promise without providing adequate reasons for the shortfall.

Alake said some recent commentaries had reproduced the President’s pledge without including the concluding qualification, arguing that a fair assessment should consider the full statement and the administration’s performance since 2023.

He said Tinubu signed the Electricity Act, 2023, on June 9, less than two weeks after assuming office, thereby allowing state governments to participate in electricity generation, transmission and distribution.

According to him, Lagos, Enugu, Abia, Ekiti, Oyo, Kaduna and Niger states have begun taking advantage of the legislation by establishing their electricity regulatory agencies and attracting private investment into their power sectors.

Alake also said the administration inherited more than N6tn in accumulated legacy debts between 2015 and 2025 and had introduced measures to address the financial burden.

He said the government established a N4tn bond programme to settle verified debts owed to 21 electricity generation companies and gas companies.

According to him, the first and second tranches of the programme have raised more than N1.2tn to settle part of the verified liabilities.

He added that the administration launched the Presidential Metering Initiative to address the country’s metering deficit, saying more than 1.5 million customers had received meters under the programme in the last three years.

The APC PCC spokesperson said the government had also adjusted electricity tariffs towards cost-reflective levels to improve liquidity in the market while introducing service bands and measures to protect low-income households.

On infrastructure, Alake said the administration was investing in substations and grid expansion while pursuing plans to modernise the Osogbo Grid Control Centre, which he said was built more than 60 years ago, and construct an East-West super grid.

He also highlighted the Rural Electrification Agency’s efforts to connect universities, hospitals and rural communities to solar power.

On the Presidential Power Initiative, which the previous administration under the late President Muhammadu Buhari initiated, Alake said Tinubu reviewed the existing agreement and signed an acceleration agreement with German partners in December 2023 to speed up projects on the transmission network.

He said the Federal Executive Council approved contracts in December 2024 for the first batch of five Transmission Company of Nigeria substations in key load centres.

According to him, the projects are being completed and will be commissioned before the end of Tinubu’s first term.

Alake added that the council approved another batch of projects in June 2026 involving the construction of eight new substations and the upgrade of four existing facilities.

He explained that electricity infrastructure projects required long-lead equipment and could not be completed overnight.

The spokesperson also cited recent investments by power generation companies as evidence that the administration’s interventions were beginning to improve confidence in the electricity market.

He mentioned Geregu Power Plc’s announcement of investments in new power transformers to improve operations at its Geregu 1 Power Plant, adding that other companies were making similar investments.

Alake said the administration recognised the need to balance cost-reflective tariffs, which would improve operators’ financial viability, with affordable electricity for Nigerians.

He said the government would continue to explore measures to improve the commercial sustainability of the sector while protecting vulnerable households.

“Fixing the electricity market and power sector is ongoing work,” Alake said.

He stated that Tinubu had not abandoned his commitment to resolving the country’s electricity challenges, adding that the President would present his scorecard and explain outstanding issues to Nigerians as he seeks a second term.