The Senate on Wednesday confirmed Mr Joseph Tegbe as Minister of Power after he successfully passed his screening during plenary.

According to the News Agency of Nigeria, his confirmation followed an extensive consideration by the Senate Committee of the Whole.

During deliberations, lawmakers expressed concern over Nigeria’s persistent electricity challenges, noting that although installed generation capacity exceeds 13,000MW, actual supply rarely rises above 4,500MW due to weak transmission and distribution infrastructure.

Responding to questions on the crisis in the power sector, Tegbe said Nigerians should begin to see tangible improvements within three to six months.

He said President Bola Tinubu and citizens expect measurable progress, and he pledged immediate reforms to address the long-standing challenges in electricity supply.

“My promise to Nigeria and to this chamber is that Nigerians will see visible improvement in the sector,” he said.

Tegbe also pledged to begin with an independent diagnostic review of the power sector while strengthening transparency and accountability across all public institutions involved in electricity delivery.

He promised closer collaboration between the Ministry of Power, the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission, the Transmission Company of Nigeria and other key stakeholders.

According to him, Nigeria’s electricity problems go beyond technical faults, pointing instead to deeper issues such as governance gaps, funding constraints, gas shortages, sustainability concerns, and commercial inefficiencies.

He explained that frequent national grid collapses reflect weak transmission systems, ageing infrastructure, poor frequency control, and inadequate regulatory enforcement.

Tegbe further noted that gas supply shortages, transmission bottlenecks, and poor coordination continue to limit power generation well below installed capacity.

He pledged to stabilise the national grid, modernise infrastructure, improve commercial frameworks, and enforce accountability across the electricity value chain.

The minister-designate also said tariff reforms would be designed to protect vulnerable households while ensuring sector sustainability, investor confidence, and overall efficiency.

He expressed support for increased sub-national participation in the power sector, including mini-grids, solar expansion, and state involvement under the Electricity Act.

Rejecting past approaches, Tegbe promised innovation, wider consultation, and difficult but necessary decisions to fix Nigeria’s electricity crisis.

Lawmakers warned that entrenched interests, including generator importers and underperforming distribution companies, could resist meaningful reforms.

Senate President Godswill Akpabio urged the incoming minister to avoid bureaucratic delays and focus on lasting solutions rather than a contract-driven maintenance culture.

Akpabio stressed that stable electricity is critical for industrialisation, national security, and economic development.

He also criticised exploitative billing practices in the electricity and broadcasting sectors, saying Nigerians should not be made to pay for unused services while other countries operate fairer pay-as-you-go systems.

Akpabio urged the minister-designate to address issues such as estimated billing and unfair subscription models, insisting that Nigerians deserve stronger consumer protection.

He thanked President Bola Tinubu for the nomination, describing Tegbe as a suitable choice for the national assignment.