Tinubu Faces Pressure to Dismiss Power Minister Adelabu

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is under increasing pressure to remove Adebayo Adelabu, the Minister of Power, due to persistent electricity blackouts across Nigeria. Over the past four months, electricity supply has been highly unstable, fluctuating between 2,000 and 4,000 megawatts, which is significantly below the demand of Nigeria's population of 250 million.

On March 29, 2026, electricity distribution companies received only 2,855 megawatts, highlighting a severe supply deficit. The erratic supply is attributed to reduced power generation from generation companies, compounded by gas supply constraints and mounting debts exceeding 4 trillion Naira.

Public frustration has grown, prompting Adelabu to apologize and acknowledge the challenges in the power sector. Ez Onyekper, lead director of the Centre for Social Justice, has called for Adelabu's immediate removal, criticizing his performance.

Meanwhile, Wumi Iledar, a professor emeritus in petroleum economics, argues that the crisis stems from systemic governance failures rather than solely blaming the minister. He advocates for urgent reforms and a decentralized electricity market to address the ongoing challenges.