Despite the collapse of the power sector under his watch as a minister, Adebayo Adelabu was welcomed back home in style, amid pomp and paegentry.
The former minister resigned yesterday as he gets ready to contest for the post of governorship in Oyo state, and left Abuja immediately for his town in Ibadan where fans throng in traffic, singing and beating drums to celebrate his homecoming.
Videos obtained by ENigeria Newspaper showed that the former minister was spotted directing traffic in the middle of a busy road while wearing blue local clothing, navigating cars while greeting supporters and bystanders.
According to reports, the gesture happened soon after he landed at the Ladoke Akintola International Airport, where fans had gathered in anticipation of his arrival.
Adelabu discussed his time in the electricity industry with reporters during a press conference after his arrival.
“I have seen, and I have conquered,” Adelabu said, “and I believe I have tried my best and contributed my best to the national development and oversee one of the key sectors in Nigeria.”
Afterwards, he met with supporters and political associates at the Adebayo Adelabu Foundation office in Jericho, Ibadan, after arrival.
Recall that Adelabu previously ran for governor of Oyo State in 2019 under the APC, but Seyi Makinde of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) defeated him. He campaigned on the Accord Party platform in 2023 as well, but the incumbent defeated him once more.
However, the former minister has reiterated his plan to run for governor in the general elections of 2027.
Adebayo Adelabu as minister of power
According to estimates up until April 2026, there have been more than 20 breakdowns of Nigeria’s national power sector since 2023. There were roughly three collapses in 2023, twelve in 2024, and several failures in early 2025 and 2026. Despite efforts to resolve infrastructure issues, the grid nevertheless frequently experiences instability.
In January alone, Nigeria’s national grid collapsed twice in four days, leaving millions of people in the dark and revealing the profound decay that characterizes the electricity industry.
Between that month and April, Nigerian have grappled with consistent erratic power supply, leaving many small and medium-scale businesses crumble. In addition, several areas received notices of an anticipated power outage.
He, however, outlined his achievements as minister which he said ranged from the adoption of the Power Act 2023, which decentralized the power market and enhanced the investment climate to the restoration of thermal power plants and the integration of the Zungeru Hydropower Plant caused peak power generation to increase to more than 6,000 megawatts.
Adelabu, however, highlighted enduring issues despite these improvements, such as the necessity for complete commercialization of the electrical value chain, infrastructure vandalism, and limitations in gas supplies.
Therefore, he suggested important steps to maintain success, including as the adoption of cost-reflective prices with targeted subsidies, distribution company recapitalization, rapid national metering, ongoing transmission expenditures, and more stringent regulatory enforcement.
