I didn't intend to insult you - Minister of Power apologises over his freezer remark

The Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, has regretted and apologised for his remark about what he considered an abuse of cheap electricity by Nigerians.

Recently, the minister while addressing journalists in Abuja said Nigerians lack the culture of electricity consumption management because of cheap power supply.

Adelabu made the statement after the government announced a tariff increase for Band A consumers.

The minister’s comment, widely considered offensive, sparked outrage as many Nigerians called for his removal.

However, while appearing on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Thursday, April 11, 2024, Adelabu apologised, saying his comment was not intended to insult the sensibilities of Nigerians.

“Anything we have said that is considered offensive, we are sorry about that,”

“It was innocent advice with regard to energy consumption management which we believe will go a long way in reducing people’s energy bills. And that advice was directed at those that we believe that because of the recent increase in tariff will start enjoying 20 hours of power per day,” the minister said.

Recall that despite the country’s economic crisis, the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) recently increased the electricity tariff for customers enjoying 20 hours of power supply daily.

Customers in this category are said to be under the Band A classification.

The development sparked outrage as Nigerians condemned the immediacy of the tariff increase despite the situation of the country.

Clarifying the development, the Minister of Power said the increase would affect only 1.5 million of the about 12 million consumers in the sector.