The All Progressives Congress Presidential Campaign Council (APC-PCC) has released a statement defending President Bola Tinubu's 2023 campaign promise to address Nigeria's electricity challenges. According to the council, the pledge must be assessed in its full context alongside the administration's record since assuming office. The statement was signed by the council's spokesperson, Dele Alake, and released on Sunday in Abuja.
President Tinubu had made the promise during a meeting with members of the Organised Private Sector in Lagos ahead of the 2023 general elections. At the meeting, he pledged to tackle estimated billing and other longstanding problems in the power sector. Tinubu stated that he would ensure that Nigerians have electricity and do not pay for estimated bills anymore, adding that if he fails to keep the promise, he should not be voted for a second term unless he provides adequate reasons.
The APC-PCC argued that some recent public commentary had reproduced the pledge without its concluding qualification, which stated that the President would provide Nigerians with adequate reasons if he failed to fulfil the promise before seeking a second term. The council maintained that a fair assessment should consider the complete statement and the administration's record, measured against improvements in electricity supply, metering, infrastructure, and market stability.
The administration has taken steps to address the sector's financial challenges, including tackling more than N6 trillion in legacy debts accumulated between 2015 and 2025. The government has also launched the Presidential Metering Initiative to bridge a metering gap of more than seven million customers and aligned electricity tariffs more closely with costs to improve market liquidity. Additionally, measures have been introduced to protect low-income households while continuing investments in substations and grid expansion.
The APC-PCC disclosed that more than 1.5 million customers had been metered under the Presidential Metering Initiative in the last three years. The Rural Electrification Agency has connected universities, hospitals, and rural communities to solar power. The administration has also unveiled plans to modernise the Osogbo Grid Control Centre, which is more than 60 years old, and construct an East-West super grid.
On outstanding debts owed to power generation and gas companies, the council said Tinubu's administration had established a N4 trillion bond programme to settle verified legacy debts owed to 21 generation companies and gas companies. The first and second tranches of the programme had raised more than N1.2 trillion towards settling part of the verified debt. The intervention has reduced market risks and encouraged fresh investment in power generation.
The administration has continued the Presidential Power Initiative, which was launched under the late President Muhammadu Buhari. Tinubu reviewed the existing agreement and signed an Acceleration Agreement with German partners in December 2023 to speed up projects aimed at strengthening the transmission grid. The Federal Executive Council approved contracts for the upgrade of Transmission Company of Nigeria substations in key electricity load centres, which are expected to be commissioned before the end of the administration's first term.
Key points
- President Tinubu's administration is working consistently to deliver on his promise to address Nigeria's electricity challenges.
- The administration has taken steps to address the sector's financial challenges, including tackling legacy debts and launching the Presidential Metering Initiative.
- The APC-PCC maintains that a fair assessment of Tinubu's promise should consider the complete statement and the administration's record since assuming office.
