Tinubu Never Promised 24-Hour Electricity – Edo Commissioner Afegbua

Edo State Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Kazeem Afegbua, has defended President Bola Tinubu’s record in the power sector, insisting the President never promised Nigerians uninterrupted 24-hour electricity supply during the 2023 campaign.

ValidViewNetwork reports that Afegbua spoke on Arise News’ Morning Show on Sunday, responding to a video clip played during the programme.

The commissioner said he could not recall Tinubu making such a pledge, arguing the administration had instead made considerable efforts to improve the sector.

“From the video you played, I didn’t hear where he said 24 hours power supply. He has actually made efforts in respect to electricity in Nigeria,” Afegbua said.

ON ESTIMATED BILLING AND METERING

Afegbua also questioned complaints about estimated billing, claiming consumers now had prepaid meters. “I’m not aware people are still doing estimated billing, people have prepaid meters, except people are complaining of the bandwidth. Nothing is cheap, especially the electricity resource,” he added.

He maintained that the Tinubu administration had made several investments in the electricity sector, urging Nigerians to acknowledge the government’s interventions rather than focus solely on the challenges.

THE METERING REALITY

Official data presents a more complex picture. The Federal Government disclosed in August that approximately 60 per cent of active electricity customers had been metered, following the installation of 668,000 meters out of 1,033,000 delivered under the first phase of the World Bank-financed Distribution Sector Recovery Programme.

The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission’s consumer protection regulations explicitly provide for estimated billing “in exceptional circumstances where customers are not metered,” subject to approved billing methodologies.

Government’s 24-Hour Power PlansSeparately, the government has disclosed plans to introduce 24-hour electricity supply in selected parts of Lagos, Ogun and Abuja as part of efforts to improve power delivery in major economic centres.

Minister of Power Joseph Tegbe said the proposed pilot locations included the Lagos-Ogun axis and the Abuja electricity franchise area, subject to technical readiness and commercial viability.

The government has also pursued reforms under the Electricity Act 2023, which provides opportunities for state governments to establish electricity markets and regulate operations within their jurisdictions.

“Not All Promises Kept, But Economy Improved”In the same interview, Afegbua conceded that Tinubu “may not have fully delivered on all the promises he made during the 2023 presidential campaign,” but maintained the administration had recorded significant economic progress. “Tinubu may have promised something in 2023 and not being able to fulfill them, but he has made a lot of remarkable improvement,” he said, arguing the President had added value to the economy.

The APC chieftain highlighted the immediate removal of the petrol subsidy as a key early decision, saying Tinubu “did not mince words” and chose to confront the challenges in the petroleum sector head-on.

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He cited the establishment of NELFUND for indigent students and the devolution of power to local governments as evidence of progress.

“So, by the time we continue on this trajectory, the chances are that by the next four years we will have a better process of translating what we have at the micro level to the macro level and that will be for the benefit of Nigerians,” he said.

POLITICAL CONTEXT

The discussion took place against the backdrop of conversations about the APC’s manifesto and a comparison of the 2023 campaign promises with those being prepared for the 2027 elections.

Tinubu assumed office in May 2023 and quickly implemented major economic reforms, including the removal of the fuel subsidy and the floating of the naira.

These measures have been credited by some analysts with improving fiscal space and attracting investment, while critics point to the sharp rise in living costs and inflation that followed. ValidViewNetwork reports.