The Minister of Power, Joseph Tegbe, on Wednesday, said some Nigerians had asked him to “slow down” efforts to improve electricity supply because their freezers were now working continuously.
Tegbe made the remark while speaking at the commissioning of a 3-megawatt solar hybrid power project at Yakubu Gowon University, formerly the University of Abuja.
The Minister said areas that previously experienced prolonged power outages were now receiving significantly longer hours of electricity supply.
“Places that didn’t have light at all for three months are now having 18 hours of light. Some areas called me to say, look, I should slow down, that everything in their freezer is freezing.
“That is what a freezer is meant to do. Let it freeze the food that needs to be frozen,” he said.
Tegbe said he had promised during his Senate screening that Nigerians would begin to see noticeable improvements in electricity supply within three to six months.
The Minister, however, acknowledged the challenges confronting the power sector, noting that some of the country’s electricity infrastructure is more than 40 years old.
“Some of the infrastructure we have in the electricity and power sector are more than 40 years old. We’re systematically replacing them, phasing them out and bringing new ones,” he said.
