Tinubu never promised to abandon re-election bid over power supply — Onanuga

The Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga has dismissed claims that the President promised not to seek a second term if he failed to significantly improve Nigeria’s electricity supply.

Onanuga made the clarification during an interview on Arise News on Tuesday, stating that the President’s comments, made during the 2023 election campaign, had been taken out of context.

Ahead of the presidential election in December 2022, Tinubu had told a gathering at a business luncheon that Nigerians should not vote for him for a second term if he failed to provide constant electricity within four years.

However, Onanuga insisted that the statement was conditional and not an outright pledge to forgo re-election.

According to him, critics often quote only part of the President’s remarks while ignoring the broader context.

He explained that Tinubu had promised to improve the electricity supply and address issues such as estimated billing, which he said the administration is already tackling through power sector reforms.

Onanuga noted that one of the first major actions taken by the President after assuming office was signing the Electricity Act, which empowers states to generate, transmit, and distribute electricity independently.

He said the legislation has opened up the sector to greater competition and encouraged states to take advantage of new opportunities in power generation and distribution.

The presidential spokesman also highlighted efforts to close the country’s metering gap, stating that the government has intervened to increase meter production and encourage electricity distribution companies to provide meters to consumers.

While admitting that the electricity supply has not yet reached the level envisioned by the President, Onanuga attributed the challenges to longstanding structural problems in the sector.

He explained that although Nigeria has an installed generation capacity of about 13,500 megawatts, issues such as gas shortages, legacy debts owed to gas suppliers, and weak transmission infrastructure have limited output.

According to him, players in the power sector owe gas companies more than N4tn, a situation that continues to affect electricity generation.

Onanuga added that the administration is implementing reforms aimed at resolving these challenges, including upgrading the national transmission grid and improving the efficiency of existing power assets.

He maintained that despite the difficulties, the Tinubu administration remains committed to improving the electricity supply and delivering lasting reforms in the power sector.