Oseni re-echos call by Power Minister, Tagbe for harmony in NEM

By Onu Okorie

Chairman of the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission NERC, Dr. Musiliu Oseni has echoed the call by the Minister of Power, Chief Joseph Tegbe for the harmonisation of regulatory and operational activities across the Nigerian Electricity Market NEM.

Oseni said Nigerians are far less interested in the question of which institution regulates the sector or sets policy than in simply having reliable, uninterrupted power. 

What matters to consumers, he said, is not whether the state or federal government drives reforms, but whether their supply needs are actually met.

He urged harmony across the country’s emerging multi-tier electricity market.

“It is on this basis I wish to urge all actors in the room to reflect, drop our ego and personal interests, embrace dialogue and let us all work together to meet the yearnings of Nigerians,” Oseni told participants.

He called for the creation of a strategic platform for ongoing regulatory and policy dialogue, suggesting the Minister institute periodic policy meetings with state commissioners. 

Such a platform, he noted, already exists in the National Council on Power NACOP, but its structure needs reform, moving away from the large, annual gatherings of the past toward more frequent, focused engagements between federal and state officials.

Oseni added that this shift would strengthen coordination during the sector’s current transition phase, as more states move to establish their own electricity markets under the decentralised NESI framework.

It would be recalled that at a workshop in Abuja on July 14, Tegbe said power sector players must work together toward the “onerous goal” of increasing electricity supply for Nigerians, describing power as the bedrock of national development.

The workshop, convened by the Minister, carried the theme: “Legal, Policy and Regulatory Harmonisation between Federal and State Institutions on the Decentralisation of the Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry NESI.” The Minister stressed that closer coordination between federal and state institutions is key to expanding electricity access nationwide.