The Minister of Power, Joseph Tegbe, has disclosed that some Nigerians have jokingly asked him to slow down efforts to improve electricity supply, saying their freezers are now operating continuously.

Tegbe made the disclosure on Wednesday in Abuja while commissioning a 3-megawatt solar hybrid power project at Yakubu Gowon University, formerly known as the University of Abuja.

According to the minister, ongoing efforts to improve power generation and distribution have resulted in significant increases in electricity supply in some communities, including areas that previously experienced prolonged outages.

“Places that didn’t have light at all for three months are now having 18 hours light. Some areas called me to say, look, I should slow down, that everything in their freezer is freezing. That is what freezer is meant to do. Let it freeze the food that needs to be frozen,” Tegbe said.

The minister recalled that during his Senate screening, he had promised that Nigerians would begin to notice improvements in electricity supply within three to six months.

However, Tegbe acknowledged that the country’s ageing electricity infrastructure remains one of the major obstacles to achieving a more stable power supply.

He said some of the infrastructure currently being used in the sector is more than four decades old, adding that the government is gradually replacing outdated facilities with modern equipment.

“Some of the infrastructure we have in the electricity and power sector are more than 40 years old. We’re systematically replacing them, phasing them out and bringing new ones,” he said.

Tegbe also raised concerns over the continued vandalism of electricity infrastructure, revealing that vandals had destroyed three major transmission towers in Birnin Kebbi.

According to him, the vandals attacked the foundations of the towers and cut parts of the structures for scrap.

“You will not believe how many towers get pulled down by vandals,” the minister said.

To tackle the problem, Tegbe disclosed that the government had established a joint committee comprising the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), the Nigeria Police Force and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC).

He said the committee would work to protect critical electricity infrastructure and ensure that vandalism is treated as a serious criminal offence.

The minister said the government would continue to address infrastructure deficits while strengthening measures to protect the nation’s electricity assets from vandalism and other forms of sabotage.