FACT CHECK: Did New Power Minister Promise To End Grid Collapse Within 3 Months?

The Ministry of Power has issued a press release to dismiss media reports on the Minister of Power, Joseph Olasunkanmi Tegbe, promising to fix Nigeria’s recurring grid collapse within three months.
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‎The statement issued on Thursday described the reports as “a clear misrepresentation” of the Minister’s remarks during his Senate screening on May 6, 2026.
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‎According to the spokesperson of the ministry, Adeola Adelabu, Tegbe “made no such commitment” and merely stated that efforts to stabilize the grid would commence within his first 100 days in office.
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To establish the truth, we compared the spokesperson’s statement with the actual transcript of Tegbe’s comments before the Senate.
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‎What Tegbe said:
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‎A review of the screening transcript shows that Tegbe did not directly say:
‎“I will fix grid collapse in three months.”
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‎‎However, he made several statements linking his proposed reforms to a three-month timeline.
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‎Speaking before the Senate, Tegbe said: ‎“My promise to Nigerians and to this chamber is that Nigerians will see visible improvement in the sector. If you don’t see this in three months, it means you won’t see it in six months. So you must see it in three months, and you must hold us accountable for it.”‎
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On the issue of the national grid, he added: “There are questions around grid collapse, and the next phase, in 100 days, is to stabilise that grid.”
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‎Tegbe also discussed broader reforms involving metering, tariff structures, sector liquidity, gas supply, and electricity market sustainability, indicating that some structural challenges would require longer-term interventions.
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‎What The Spokesperson Said:
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‎In the rebuttal press release, the spokesperson stated: “Mr Tegbe made no such commitment. He stated unequivocally that the timelines are still being worked and subject to diagnostics and stakeholder engagements.”
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‎‎The statement further noted that: “Initial grid stabilisation efforts would commence within the first 100 days,” while broader reforms in the sector could take about a year.
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‎‎The release also quoted Tegbe’s promise that Nigerians would see “visible improvement in the sector.”
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‎However, the statement omitted his follow-up remark: “If you don’t see this in three months, it means you won’t see it in six months.”
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‎‎Findings
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‎The fact check found that the spokesperson’s rebuttal is misleading.
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‎The transcript confirms that Tegbe never explicitly promised to completely eliminate grid collapse within three months. Therefore, headlines suggesting he categorically vowed to “fix grid collapse in three months” overstated his exact words.
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‎However, Tegbe unmistakably tied public expectations to a three-month performance window by promising “visible improvement” and urging Nigerians to hold him accountable if such progress was not seen within that period.
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‎His additional statement about stabilising the grid within 100 days reasonably reinforced public interpretation that the administration intended to achieve measurable progress on grid reliability within roughly three months.
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‎By excluding Tegbe’s strongest timeline-based comments, the spokesperson’s rebuttal presented a softer interpretation of the original remarks.
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‎Verdict
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‎Partly true
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‎Joseph Olasunkanmi Tegbe did not explicitly state that he would completely end grid collapse within three months.
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‎However, he clearly promised visible improvements in the power sector within that timeframe and linked his first 100 days to efforts aimed at stabilising the national grid.
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‎The spokesperson’s statement attempted to correct the interpretation of Tegbe’s remarks but omitted key portions of the transcript that strengthened the public perception of a three-month commitment to grid stability.(daily trust)