By Stella Odueme
The Federal Government and the National Assembly have renewed calls for stronger collaboration between federal and state electricity regulators to ensure the successful implementation of Nigeria’s decentralised electricity market.
The position was expressed at a workshop in Abuja on Legal, Policy and Regulatory Harmonisation between Federal and State Institutions on the Decentralisation of the Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry (NESI).
Special Adviser to the President on Power and Chairman of the Presidential Task Force on Power Sector Reset and Restoration, Mr. Rilwan Lanre Babalola, said the evolving electricity market requires cooperation among all stakeholders to guarantee a seamless transition under the Electricity Act.
He described electricity as the backbone of industrialisation, economic competitiveness, employment generation and national prosperity, urging regulators to focus on building a unified electricity market instead of protecting institutional boundaries.
Babalola noted that while the Electricity Act decentralises governance responsibilities, Nigeria’s electricity infrastructure and markets remain interconnected, making policy and regulatory harmonisation essential.
He explained that emerging issues relating to regulatory jurisdiction, technical standards, market oversight and commercial arrangements should be addressed through dialogue, collaboration and mutual respect to preserve a stable and efficient national electricity market.
Chairman of the Senate Committee on Power, Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe, assured stakeholders of the National Assembly’s commitment to strengthening the legal framework that enables federal and state regulators to work in complementary roles.
According to him, the true measure of the sector’s decentralisation will not be the number of states establishing electricity markets, but the creation of an integrated, efficient and bankable electricity market supported by harmonised rules between the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) and State Electricity Regulatory Commissions.
Also speaking, the Minister of Power, Chief Joseph Tegbe, and the Chairman of NERC, Dr. Musiliu Oseni, underscored the need for closer alignment of regulatory and operational activities to ensure a coordinated, reliable and sustainable Nigerian Electricity Market.
The workshop brought together key stakeholders to examine legal, policy and regulatory frameworks needed to support the decentralisation of the Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry while maintaining a unified and efficient national power market.
