Adebayo Adelabu, Minister of Power in President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration, has stirred public reactions after a video emerged showing him displaying his newly completed multi-million naira mansion in Ibadan, Oyo State.
The viral footage, sighted by IntelRegion on Tuesday, captures Adelabu walking through the lavishly furnished white mansion in the company of jubilant supporters. In the background, some supporters could be heard hailing him as the “incoming governor,” while others boasted that the property outshines the official Oyo State Governor’s quarters.
Adelabu, a former Deputy Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), formally declared in July 2025 his intention to contest the Oyo State governorship election on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC). This marks his third attempt at clinching the seat. He first contested in 2019 as the APC flagbearer but lost to Seyi Makinde. In 2023, he ran under the Accord Party, only to be defeated again as Makinde secured re-election.
While projecting his political future, Adelabu continues to preside over a power sector burdened by deep-rooted challenges, including liquidity crises, persistent electricity shortages, recurring grid collapses, complicated tariff structures, public affordability concerns, and ageing infrastructure.
He recently revealed that the federal government’s outstanding legacy debts to electricity generation companies stood at N4 trillion by the end of 2024.
Adding to the urgency, a June 2025 World Bank report titled Tracking Sustainable Development Goal 7: The Energy Progress Report 2025 estimated that 86.8 million Nigerians— the highest number globally—remain without access to electricity.
The video of Adelabu’s opulent home has since fueled conversations about political ambition, public service, and wealth display in the midst of Nigeria’s pressing economic and infrastructural challenges.
