By Adewale Sanyaolu
The federal government has appealed to the European Union (EU) and its member states to continue offering technical and financial assistance to Nigeria, particularly in the power sector, described as a critical enabler of economic performance.
Minister of Power, Mr. Adebayo Adelabu, made the appeal during a courtesy visit by the EU Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr. Gautier Mignot, at his office in Abuja at the weekend.
Adelabu reiterated the importance of international partnerships in transforming Nigeria’s electricity landscape, noting that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu remains deeply committed to power sector reform and has provided strong support for ongoing initiatives.
“The power sector is so critical to the optimal performance of every other sector,” Adelabu said. “Without power, it would be tough for other sectors to perform actively, which is why Mr. President has placed so much premium and priority on transforming Nigeria’s power sector.”
He acknowledged the significant support already extended by EU nations, including Germany, France, and their development partners, and emphasised the need to sustain and deepen those collaborations.
“First, let me thank you and welcome you,” the Minister said. “When I got the information that you wanted to meet with me, I wasn’t surprised. I was also excited to receive you in my office because we are trying everything possible to ensure that we benefit from bilateral and multilateral relationships when it comes to gaining experience from Western nations on the issue of power.”
Adelabu did not shy away from addressing the historic shortcomings of Nigeria’s electricity sector, describing its performance over the past six decades as disheartening.
“We have a history that we are not proud of. Over 60 years of electricity in Nigeria and we are still at this level of epileptic supply to households, businesses, and industries. In fact, we got electricity before some European countries. So those that got electricity after us have stabilised their supply. They have made their supply reliable and they are benefiting from it through visible economic growth and industrial development.”
He further explained that Nigeria’s reliance on imports, despite abundant natural resources, is largely due to an unreliable energy supply.
“Today, we are still import-dependent on the majority of the things that we use in Nigeria not because we don’t have the raw materials to produce these things, but because of the lack of reliability and functionality of our power sector,” he said.
Highlighting progress made under the current administration, Adelabu pointed to recent reforms and targeted investments in off-grid and renewable energy solutions as evidence of transformation already underway.
“We have seen some reasonable improvements since this new administration came in,” he noted. “In three basic areas: number one, in the area of energy access expansion, we have extended the grid to so many areas where there were no grid extensions. And we have also exploited renewable energy in our rural areas and semi-urban areas that were either underserved or unserved.
“Renewable energy in terms of solar energy, most especially, and we have small dams which we are using for hydro power supply. So we have achieved some level of energy expansion in terms of new generation.”
Adelabu attributed much of the momentum to the bold legislative move by President Tinubu, who signed the Electricity Act of 2023 into law, a development that has enabled sweeping reforms across the sector.
He expressed optimism that with sustained international support, particularly from the EU, Nigeria can chart a path to reliable, efficient and sustainable energy that powers long-term economic growth.