Minister of Power, Joseph Tegbe, has unveiled a comprehensive action plan aimed at stabilising and transforming Nigeria’s electricity sector, calling for greater accountability, transparency and stronger protection of critical power infrastructure.
Tegbe presented the plan while delivering the keynote address at the second quarterly Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry (NESI) Stakeholders’ Meeting convened by the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) in Abuja.
The meeting, chaired by Musiliu Oseni, brought together key players in the electricity value chain, including operators, regulators and policymakers. Also in attendance were the Special Adviser to the President on Power, Rilwan Lanre Babalola, and the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Power, Mahmuda Mamman.
The minister said resolving Nigeria’s electricity challenges requires collective commitment from Generation Companies (GenCos), Distribution Companies (DisCos), the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN), the Nigerian Independent System Operator (NISO), regulators and government.
“Nigeria’s power crisis was not built by one hand, and it will not be fixed by one hand,” Tegbe said, urging all stakeholders to embrace shared responsibility in restoring the sector.
On infrastructure, Tegbe advocated the designation of power installations as Critical National Assets, describing vandalism, grid sabotage and energy theft as acts of economic sabotage that undermine national development and worsen the hardship faced by electricity consumers.
He said the ministry is simultaneously working to secure existing assets and improve their performance by addressing transmission bottlenecks, strengthening spinning reserves and upgrading priority substation relays to enhance grid reliability.
The minister also reaffirmed the government’s commitment to ending estimated billing through accelerated metering while reducing Aggregate Technical, Commercial and Collection (ATC&C) losses. According to him, efforts are equally focused on developing a sustainable tariff transition framework that protects vulnerable consumers while creating a stable investment climate for the power sector.
On market governance, Tegbe stressed that electricity sector reforms would only succeed if payment compliance is enforced across the industry. He called for greater transparency in the calculation of Derived Remittance Obligations, insisting that confidence in the electricity market depends on openness and accountability.
“Trust in the market begins with trust in the numbers,” he said.
He further disclosed that the Ministry of Power is working towards publishing Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and performance scorecards for GenCos and DisCos to promote transparency and make operators more accountable to the public.
Reaffirming his commitment to reform, Tegbe said his leadership would be guided by transparency, speed and accountability.
“Reform is not a promise deferred. It is a discipline being executed every day,” the minister stated.
