Atiku's Camp Queries Power Minister's 'Freezing Freezers' Remark

Paul Ibe, the Media Adviser to Atiku Abubakar, the presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress, has openly challenged the Minister of Power, Joseph Tegbe, concerning his recent assertion that certain Nigerians had requested him to 'slow down' due to their freezers experiencing excessive freezing.

The Minister's controversial statement was delivered on Wednesday during the inauguration of a 3-megawatt solar hybrid power project situated at Yakubu Gowon University, Abuja, previously known as the University of Abuja. During the event, Tegbe claimed that parts of the country previously enduring three-month power outages were now enjoying up to 18 hours of electricity daily. He further noted that some consumers had reportedly reached out to him, expressing concerns that their freezers were freezing excessively.

Tegbe was quoted directly as stating, “Some areas called me to say, look, I should slow down, that everything in their freezer is freezing. That is what a freezer is meant to do. Let it freeze the food that needs to be frozen.”

Responding on Thursday, Ibe cast doubt on the Minister's narrative, contending that official statistics revealed a substantial disparity between Nigeria’s total installed electricity generation capacity and the actual power readily available for distribution across the grid. Ibe expressed his disbelief, querying, “Minister of Power, Joseph Tegbe, says Nigerians are calling him and asking him to ‘slow down’ because their freezers are now freezing too much. For real? Apparently, the Tinubu government hears voices the rest of Nigeria cannot hear. It hears Nigerians complaining about too much electricity, while official NERC data showed that in April only about 4,286MW was available for dispatch from 13,625MW of installed grid-connected capacity.”

Data from the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) for April 2026, detailing operational performance, indicated that the 28 grid-connected power plants examined in their report collectively managed an average available generation of 4,286MW. This figure stands in stark contrast to an installed capacity of 13,625MW, translating to a plant availability factor of merely 31 per cent. Furthermore, NERC’s report highlighted an average load factor of 94 per cent, suggesting that the majority of the power capacity that was actually available for distribution saw utilisation throughout that month.

However, Ibe maintained that the Minister’s remarks failed to accurately represent the lived realities of Nigerian citizens grappling with escalating energy prices and the overall cost of living. He passionately declared, “It hears freezers freezing. Nigerians hear generators roaring. It hears an electricity revolution. Families see electricity bills consuming their incomes. It hears economic progress. Small businesses see the cost of electricity, petrol and diesel eating away their margins.”

Ibe further took aim at the government regarding the exorbitant cost of alternative energy solutions, specifically pointing out that diesel prices had recently surged past N2,000 per litre in various regions nationwide. He urged that the government ought to prioritise the genuine challenges confronting Nigerians instead of dwelling on the 'freezer' story. According to Ibe, “The real story is not that Nigerians’ freezers are freezing. What is freezing is the quality of life of Nigerians. Household incomes are being frozen by inflation. Small businesses are being frozen out by energy costs. Jobs are disappearing as operating costs rise. Families are cutting consumption simply to survive.”

The aide to the ADC presidential candidate additionally argued that the complexities of Nigeria's electricity crisis could not simply be distilled down to the Minister's assertion of enhanced supply in isolated regions. He stressed, “Nigeria does not have an electricity problem because the Minister is supplying too much power. The available official numbers tell a considerably less triumphant story.”

Ibe concluded by appealing to the Federal Government to concentrate its efforts on enhancing both the reliability and affordability of electricity provision nationwide. His final words were a direct plea: “The government should leave the freezer jokes alone. Give Nigerians reliable and affordable electricity. Let their freezers freeze. Stop freezing their lives.”