By Oluwatobi Omotosho
The Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Media and Publicity, Bayo Onanuga, has dismissed claims that the President promised not to seek re-election if he failed to significantly improve electricity supply in Nigeria.
Speaking on Arise Television on Tuesday, Onanuga said Tinubu’s comments on power sector reforms during the 2023 election campaign had been taken out of context.
Tinubu had stated at a business luncheon in December 2022: “If I don’t give you constant electricity for four years, when I come back for a second term, don’t vote for me.”
However, Onanuga argued that the President’s remarks were conditional and not a direct commitment to forgo a second term.
“That is not exactly what he said,” Onanuga said. “He said he would give Nigerians power and end the era of estimated billing. If, for any reason, he was unable to provide adequate electricity, Nigerians should understand the challenges he inherited.”
When reminded that Tinubu had publicly linked his re-election prospects to improvements in power supply, Onanuga insisted the statement was being misrepresented.
“He didn’t say it that way,” he said, adding that critics often quote only part of the President’s remarks while ignoring the broader context.
Onanuga pointed to reforms introduced by the Tinubu administration, particularly the signing of the Electricity Act, which allows states to generate, transmit and distribute electricity independently.
“The first thing he did when he came into office was sign the Electricity Act. It enables states to generate power, transmit power and distribute power,” he said.
According to him, the legislation has opened up the sector and encouraged competition, with several states already taking advantage of the new framework.
He also highlighted government efforts to tackle Nigeria’s metering gap, saying the administration had pushed for the provision of meters to consumers through distribution companies.
Onanuga acknowledged that electricity supply had not yet reached the level envisaged by the President but attributed the situation to longstanding structural challenges in the sector.
“We are not at the level that the President meant. I can tell you that,” he said.
He explained that despite Nigeria’s installed generation capacity of about 13,500 megawatts, issues such as gas shortages, legacy debts owed to gas suppliers and an ageing transmission network continue to hamper performance.
“What people don’t know is that we already have an installed capacity of 13,500 megawatts. What are the problems? No gas. The players in the sector owe the gas companies legacy debts of over four trillion naira,” he said.
He added that the administration is working to address the challenges through ongoing reforms and investments in transmission infrastructure.
Onanuga maintained that the Tinubu government remains committed to improving electricity supply and strengthening Nigeria’s power sector despite existing constraints.
