A 60-megawatt gas turbine power plant in Bayelsa State that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu inaugurated just days ago has never been turned on and is not generating any electricity, according to an investigation by the Foundation for Investigative Journalism.
Despite government claims that the facility at Elebele is 95% complete and ready for operation, half of Bayelsa State remains in darkness with no power supply from the newly commissioned plant. The revelation has sparked widespread public frustration over what many Nigerians see as a growing pattern of high-profile project commissioning ceremonies that deliver no actual improvements to citizens’ daily lives.
The report was highlighted by TrendingEx, a social media account that specializes in explaining trending topics to its followers. The post included images from the inauguration ceremony showing President Tinubu and other officials dressed in traditional attire, alongside photos from what appeared to be a site inspection near electrical control panels at the Elebele power facility.
The contrast between the celebratory atmosphere of the commissioning and the reality that no electricity is flowing from the plant has become a focal point for criticism of the Tinubu administration’s infrastructure claims.
According to the Foundation for Investigative Journalism’s investigation, the power plant has remained completely offline since the presidential inauguration ceremony.
Residents across Bayelsa State report no change whatsoever in their electricity supply situation, with communities that were experiencing blackouts before the commissioning still sitting in darkness afterward.
The 60MW capacity, if it were actually operational, would represent a significant addition to Bayelsa’s power supply and should have made a noticeable difference in reducing outages across the state. Instead, the situation on the ground remains exactly as it was before the presidential visit.
Government officials had repeatedly claimed that the Elebele gas turbine power plant was nearing completion and would soon begin delivering much-needed electricity to Bayelsa residents.
The 95% completion figure was cited in official statements leading up to the inauguration, creating expectations that the facility was essentially ready to begin operations with only minor finishing touches remaining.
The decision to proceed with a full presidential commissioning ceremony reinforced the impression that the plant was functional or nearly so, making the discovery that it has never been switched on particularly embarrassing for the administration.
The Foundation for Investigative Journalism conducted on-the-ground reporting in Bayelsa State to verify the operational status of the power plant. Investigators spoke with local residents, electricity distribution company officials, and workers familiar with the facility. All sources confirmed that the plant has not generated a single kilowatt of electricity since construction began, let alone since the presidential inauguration. Technical staff indicated that significant work remains before the facility can become operational, contradicting the 95% completion claims and raising questions about what exactly was being commissioned during the presidential ceremony.
“We are still in total darkness here. Nothing has changed since that big ceremony,” one Bayelsa resident told FIJ investigators, speaking on condition of anonymity. “They came with all the big people, took pictures, made speeches, and left. But our lights did not come on then and they have not come on since. It is the same suffering we have been experiencing for years.” This sentiment was echoed across multiple communities in the state, particularly in areas that government officials had suggested would be the first beneficiaries of the new power plant….See More
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