The new Minister of Power, Mr. Joseph Olasunkanmi Tegbe, has pledged a gradual but consistent improvement in electricity supply across the country, tempering expectations of an overnight transformation.
Speaking to journalists after his swearing in by President Bola Tinubu at the State House, Abuja, Tegbe said he was not offering a magic solution or round the clock power, but promised visible and steady progress. He said Nigerians had already reported improved supply over the previous four weeks, crediting the President’s backing, the commitment of ministry officials and the cooperation of agencies in the sector.
Tegbe said he had engaged key stakeholders including the Transmission Company of Nigeria, the Rural Electrification Agency and the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission since his confirmation, securing commitments that were beginning to show results. He outlined plans to address challenges across generation, transmission and distribution, while urging patience as reforms take hold.
He cited recent operational successes, including the rapid restoration of a feeder station in Katampe within 24 hours and the return of the Niger Delta Power Holding Company after three years offline, as evidence of renewed commitment within the sector. He appealed to Nigerians to support the President and remain hopeful as the ministry works through the sector’s peculiar challenges.
The President had earlier administered the oath of office on Tegbe and the new Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Sola Enikanolaiye, at a short ceremony in the Council Chambers. The appointments followed the resignations of former Foreign Affairs Minister Yusuf Tuggar and former Power Minister Chief Adebayo Adelabu, who left to pursue political ambitions. The Senate cleared both nominees on Wednesday, May 6, 2026.
Tegbe, an Ibadan native, is a fiscal, economic and institutional reform strategist with more than 35 years of experience across the public and private sectors. He holds a first class degree in Civil Engineering from Obafemi Awolowo University, an MBA from Switzerland and a master’s in Public Administration from Birmingham. He previously served as Senior Partner and Head of Advisory Services at KPMG in Africa, leading major reform initiatives and working with organizations such as the Nigerian Communications Commission, the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission, Shell, Huawei, General Electric, MTN and the Odu’a Group.
Enikanolaiye, a native of Igbagun in Kogi State, holds a first class degree in Political Science from Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, and a distinction in International Law and Diplomacy from the University of Lagos. A career diplomat, he joined the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1982, rose to Director and was appointed Permanent Secretary in 2016 before retiring in 2017. He served in Nigerian missions in Addis Ababa, Belgrade, Ottawa, London and New Delhi, and most recently worked as Senior Special Assistant to the President on Foreign Affairs and International Relations.
