Nigerians should disregard reports of an impending increase in electricity tariffs, the Minister of Power, Joseph Tegbe, has said, stressing that the Federal Government has no such plan.
Tegbe spoke on Thursday in Oyo State at the groundbreaking ceremony for five interconnected mini-grid projects with a combined capacity of 17.7 megawatts.
He described the tariff reports as misinformation and said the government’s priority was to deliver round-the-clock electricity supply.
The projects are meant to improve power access in communities across Akinyele, Ido, Ibadan North, Egbeda and Lagelu Local Government Areas.
They are the Bola, Jiboye, Molade-Adelubi, Ogo Oluwa and Sooko-elega interconnected mini-grids, backed by a 17.74-megawatt battery energy storage system.
According to the minister, the initiative should improve electricity supply to homes and businesses, reduce dependence on generators, extend working hours and create a more favourable environment for investment and job creation.
He said the initiative forms part of the Federal Government’s broader Renewed Hope Agenda to expand electricity access nationwide.
Similar interventions supported by the Rural Electrification Agency (REA), he noted, had been carried out in communities across Kwara, Niger, Nasarawa, Plateau, Adamawa and Kaduna states.
On the push for 24-hour power, Tegbe said the government would begin with three proposed energy zones: the Lagos-Ogun corridor, the Abuja-Kaduna-Kano corridor, and the Benin-Enugu-Port Harcourt corridor.
He added that the government planned to strengthen the national grid across the eastern and western corridors, including strategic generation and transmission locations such as Funtua, Kainji, Gwagwalada, Gombe, Makurdi, Ajaokuta, Ikot Ekpene, Benin and Egbin.
The aim, he said, was to extend improved stability and reliability beyond the initial energy zones and make 24-hour electricity supply a national reality.
The minister acknowledged the contributions of the REA, Paras Energy and Natural Resources Development Limited, the project developer, the World Bank, which provided the financing, and the Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company.
He also commended the Oyo State Government, traditional rulers, community leaders and host communities for their cooperation, and paid tribute to the Olubadan of Ibadanland for his support towards the project’s realisation.
Tegbe formally flagged off the projects on behalf of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
He expressed the hope that their successful completion would strengthen livelihoods and expand economic opportunities for residents of the beneficiary communities and described the investment as an example of collaboration between government, private enterprise and development partners to address Nigeria’s electricity challenges.
