Nigeria targets 8,000MW electricity output by 2027 – Power Minister

By Kunle Sanni

Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, says the country is on course to generate and distribute at least 8,000 megawatts (MW) of electricity before the end of President Bola Tinubu’s first term in 2027.

Adelabu made the announcement on Thursday at a ministerial press briefing hosted by the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris.

Highlighting recent progress in the power sector, Adelabu said electricity generation has increased by 1,700MW within two years—an achievement he noted took Nigeria over three decades to accomplish in the past. He added that the country recently crossed the 6,000MW generation mark for the first time.

According to the minister, a peak generation of 5,801.44MW was recorded on March 4, 2025, with a corresponding all-time high daily energy dispatch of 128,370.75MW/hours, surpassing the previous average range of 118,000–119,000MW/hours.

“In the history of Nigeria’s power sector, this is the highest daily energy ever consumed,” Adelabu said. “We’re proud this happened under our watch.”

He added that the average daily power generation and distribution in the first quarter of 2025 stood at 5,700MW, up from 4,100MW in the third quarter of 2023 — a nearly 40% increase.

Reflecting on historical trends, Adelabu pointed out that it took Nigeria close to 40 years to increase generation from 2,000MW in 1984 to 4,000MW by around 2016. In contrast, the Tinubu administration has raised output from 4,100MW to over 5,800MW in less than two years.

“If we maintain this trajectory, we are confident of reaching at least 8,000 megawatts by 2027,” he said. “We acknowledge the contributions of past administrations, but we are now focused on sustainable growth and forward momentum in the power sector.”