The Minister of Power, Joseph Tegbe, has said Nigerians are increasingly acknowledging improvements in electricity supply, with some consumers reportedly experiencing significantly longer hours of power availability.

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

According to the minister, the reported improvement in electricity supply has generated unusual feedback from consumers, including complaints from people whose freezers are now operating continuously.

Tegbe said some areas that previously experienced prolonged outages were now receiving up to 18 hours of electricity supply.

He recounted that some consumers had contacted him asking him to “slow down” the improvement because their freezers were now constantly working.

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“Places that didn’t have light at all for three months are now having 18 hours light,” Tegbe said, explaining that some consumers had jokingly complained about their freezers remaining continuously operational.

“That is what freezer is meant to do. Let it freeze the food that needs to be frozen,” the minister added.

Tegbe said the development was consistent with the commitment he made during his Senate screening, when he promised that Nigerians would begin to notice improvements in electricity supply within three to six months.

The minister, however, acknowledged that the country’s power sector still faces significant infrastructure challenges.

According to him, some electricity infrastructure currently in use is more than four decades old, making systematic replacement and modernisation necessary.

“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,” Tegbe said.

The minister’s comments highlight the government’s stated approach of combining improvements in electricity availability with longer-term investment in ageing transmission and distribution infrastructure.

Beyond infrastructure renewal, Tegbe also raised concerns over vandalism of critical electricity assets, describing the destruction of transmission infrastructure as a major challenge to reliable power supply.

He disclosed that three major transmission towers in Birnin Kebbi had reportedly been brought down by vandals.

According to Tegbe, the affected towers were part of the infrastructure supplying electricity to Kebbi State and extending power transmission towards the Niger Republic.

He said the vandals attacked the foundations of the towers before bringing them down and subsequently cutting portions of the structures for sale in the scrap market.

The minister warned that such attacks could undermine efforts to improve electricity supply by disrupting infrastructure that connects generation and transmission systems to consumers.

To address the problem, Tegbe said the Federal Government had established a joint working committee involving the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, the Nigeria Police Force and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps.

The committee, he said, would be involved in monitoring and protecting critical national electricity assets against vandalism and other forms of criminal activity.

“You will not believe how many towers get pulled down by vandals,” Tegbe said, stressing the scale of the challenge confronting the sector.

The minister’s remarks come amid continuing efforts by the Federal Government to improve electricity availability while addressing longstanding weaknesses in power infrastructure.

The commissioning of the 3-megawatt solar hybrid project at Yakubu Gowon University also underscores the growing emphasis on alternative and distributed power solutions for public institutions.

While Tegbe pointed to reports of longer electricity supply hours in some locations, his comments also acknowledged that ageing infrastructure and vandalism remain obstacles that must be addressed for improvements to be sustained.

For electricity consumers, the combination of improved supply, infrastructure upgrades and stronger protection of transmission assets remains central to the broader challenge of achieving more reliable power across Nigeria.