Minister ties power sector recovery to accountability, transparency

Minister of Power, Mr. Joseph Tegbe, has unveiled an action plan centred on shared accountability as the cornerstone of efforts to stabilise and transform Nigeria’s electricity sector.

Speaking at the second-quarter Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry (NESI) Stakeholders Meeting convened by the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission(NERC) in Abuja, Tegbe said lasting reforms would only succeed if every player in the electricity value chain accept responsibility for improving the industry’s performance.

“Nigeria’s power crisis was not built by one hand, and it will not be fixed by one hand,”. He urged power generation companies, distribution companies, the transmission network, regulators and government agencies to work collectively to address longstanding challenges. He identified protection of electricity infrastructure as a key priority, calling for power installations to be designated as Critical National Assets.  According to him, vandalism, grid sabotage and energy theft amount to economic warfare against Nigerians and must be tackled alongside efforts to strengthen transmission infrastructure, improve spinning reserves and enhance grid reliability.

Tegbe also pledged to accelerate the rollout of electricity meters to curb estimated billing, reduce Aggregate Technical, Commercial and Collection (ATC&C) losses, and develop a tariff transition framework that protects vulnerable consumers while providing investors with greater certainty.

On market governance, the minister said tariff reforms must be backed by strict payment discipline and greater transparency.

He called for open calculations of Derived Remittance Obligations, stressing that confidence in the electricity market depends on credible and verifiable data.

As part of efforts to deepen accountability, he disclosed that the ministry is working towards publishing key performance indicators and performance scorecards for generation and distribution companies, enabling Nigerians to track operators’ performance.

Tegbe said his reform agenda would be guided by transparency, speed and accountability, adding that the government remained committed to removing bureaucratic bottlenecks and ensuring that those who undermine the sector are held responsible.