Electricity transmission in Lagos, Nigeria’s commercial hub, has received a boost with the commissioning of two upgraded power substations by the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN).
The Minister of Power, Mr Joseph Tegbe, unveiled the upgraded substations on Monday in the Apapa and Ijora areas of the state.
Tegbe said Apapa and Ijora were critical commercial hubs, not only for Lagos but for the entire country, hosting the Tin Can Island Port, Apapa Wharf, manufacturing industries, warehouses and other allied businesses.
The Minister described the substations as an investment in one of the country’s most economically consequential corridors, saying “they represented a deliberate effort to strengthen the arteries through which the Nigerian economy moves.”
He expressed President Bola Tinubu’s resolve under the renewed hope agenda to strengthen critical substations, reinforce transmission corridors, remove bottlenecks and choke points, improve system resilience and create capacity required to evacuate and deliver Nigeria’s available electricity.
Tegbe, however, acknowledged that more still needed to be done, stressing that the government’s ambition extended beyond the project.
“Our ambition is larger than this project. We are building a Nigeria where electricity is not merely a social service but a foundation for industrial competitiveness and economic growth, and where investment decisions are driven by opportunities rather than infrastructure constraints,” he said.
On his part, the Chief Executive Officer of TCN, Sule Abdulaziz noted that the construction of the new substations was as a result of the strategic partnership between TCN and Japan International Cooperation Agency, JICA.
“This achievement underscores TCN’s unwavering commitment to the modernisation of Nigeria’s transmission network, reduction of technical losses and stabilisation of the national grid to support economic growth across the country,” he said.
The Japanese Ambassador to Nigeria Hideo Suzuki restated his country’s commitment to assist Nigeria in developing its infrastructure and industrialisation drive through agencies like JICA.
With the commissioning of the 132kv GIS Station and two 60MVA power transformers as well as the 2x100MVA, 132/33kv power transformers, the volume of bulk power available to electricity consumers within the Apapa and Ijora axis of Lagos has improved significantly.
This will enhance supply reliability in Apapa, Ijora and adjoining areas, strengthen the stability and capacity of the national transmission network, and support socioeconomic activity in Lagos State while contributing to the national GDP growth.
