Tinubu Never Said Nigerians Should Reject Him Over Power Supply – Onanuga

By Margaret Abah

The Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Media and Publicity, Bayo Onanuga, has dismissed claims that the President vowed not to seek re-election if he failed to significantly improve electricity supply across the country.

Speaking during an interview on Arise News on Tuesday, Onanuga said President Tinubu’s remarks on power sector reforms had been taken out of context and misrepresented by critics.

He recalled that during a business luncheon in December 2022, ahead of the 2023 presidential election, Tinubu stated that Nigerians should not vote for him for a second term if he failed to deliver stable electricity within four years. However, Onanuga insisted the statement was conditional and not an outright commitment to forgo re-election.

According to him, many critics often quote only a portion of the President’s remarks while ignoring the broader context in which they were made.

Onanuga said the Tinubu administration has demonstrated a strong commitment to reforming the power sector since assuming office, highlighting the signing of the Electricity Act as one of the government's key achievements.

“The first thing he did when he came to office was sign the Electricity Act, which enables states to generate, transmit and distribute power,” he said.

He noted that the legislation had opened up the electricity sector, encouraging competition and allowing states to take greater responsibility for power generation and distribution.

The presidential aide also pointed to efforts to close the country’s metering gap, saying the Federal Government had intervened to ensure more Nigerians receive electricity meters and reduce reliance on estimated billing.

While acknowledging that electricity supply has not yet reached the level envisioned by the President, Onanuga attributed the challenge to long-standing structural issues within the sector.

According to him, despite Nigeria’s installed generation capacity of about 13,500 megawatts, factors such as gas shortages, legacy debts owed to gas suppliers and an outdated transmission infrastructure have continued to hamper performance.

He said the administration is working to address these challenges through ongoing reforms aimed at improving power generation, transmission and distribution across the country.

Onanuga maintained that the Tinubu government remains committed to delivering improved electricity supply and strengthening Nigeria’s power sector despite the existing obstacles.