Tegbe inuugurates 9-Member inter-agency committee to tackle decentralisation of electricity market

By Onu Okorie

Minister of Power Olasunkani Tegbe has inaugurated a nine-member inter-agency committee to oversee the ongoing decentralisation of Nigeria’s electricity market, a move announced as a key outcome of a recent stakeholder workshop.

The minister will chair the newly formed power sector inter-agency committee, which has been tasked with driving sustained engagement among stakeholders, resolving implementation challenges as they arise, and supporting the smooth operationalisation of the Electricity Act, 2023.

Committee members have been given a four-week window to review the issues raised during the workshop. Within that period, they are expected to collaborate with other stakeholders in the sector and produce a resolution.

Speaking at the workshop, the minister described Nigeria’s shift to a decentralised electricity market as one of the most far-reaching reforms in the power sector in decades, stressing that its success would hinge on collaboration, regulatory certainty, and a shared commitment to delivering better outcomes for Nigerians — rather than on competition between institutions.

“We must make the Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry succeed,” the minister told attendees, describing electricity as the single most important enabler of economic growth, industrialisation, job creation, digital transformation, and improved quality of life. He noted that virtually every sector of the economy — including manufacturing, agriculture, mining, financial services, telecommunications, and information technology — depends on a reliable power supply.

The minister added that every national aspiration under the Renewed Hope Agenda ultimately rests on the availability of dependable electricity, framing the responsibility of stakeholders as extending beyond institutional mandates to a broader national obligation.

He urged stakeholders not to view the decentralisation of the electricity market as fragmentation, but rather as the intelligent distribution of responsibilities within a single, integrated national electricity ecosystem.

Expressing optimism about the level of engagement shown by stakeholders, including their decision to deepen consultations, the minister said the collective effort was laying the groundwork for a modern, reliable, and investor-friendly electricity market — one capable of improving service delivery, attracting investment, and powering Nigeria’s economic growth.