The Senate has confirmed Mr. Joseph Tegbe as the new Minister of Power following an extensive screening process by the Committee of the Whole.

During the confirmation hearing, lawmakers highlighted the persistent challenges within the sector, noting that while Nigeria’s installed electricity generation capacity exceeds 13,000MW, actual generation and supply rarely surpass 4,500MW due to weak transmission and distribution infrastructure.

In his address to the Senate, Tegbe outlined a comprehensive reform strategy, assuring Nigerians that visible improvements would be recorded within three to six months. He attributed the nation’s chronic power crisis to a combination of technical inefficiencies, gas supply shortages, and commercial losses.

Tegbe promised to conduct independent diagnostics of the power sector to ensure greater transparency, tackle grid instability, and enforce accountability across the entire electricity value chain. He further committed to modernizing aging infrastructure and strengthening collaboration among the Ministry of Power, the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission, and the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN).

Senate President Godswill Akpabio lauded the nomination, tasking the incoming minister to prioritize lasting structural solutions over contract-driven maintenance while ensuring consumer protection against unfair and estimated billing systems.