by Muyiwa Lucas
The Minister of Power, Joseph Tegbe, has called on all stakeholders involved in the electricity value chain to collaborate and find a lasting solution to the country’s electricity crises.
Speaking at the second quarterly Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry (NESI) stakeholders meeting convened by the industry regulator, the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC), where he has outlined his Ministerial Action Plan for the stabilisation and growth of Nigeria’s electricity sector, the Minister noted that ending the country’s electricity crisis demands collective collaboration across the entire value chain. Africans& Diaspora
“Nigeria’s power crisis was not built by one hand, and it will not be fixed by one hand,” he said.
Tegbe, while calling for power assets to be formally designated and treated as critical national assets, described vandalism, grid sabotage, and energy theft as economic warfare against the country.
Tegbe to investors: embrace sustainable financing models for electrification of healthcare facilities
According to him, securing existing assets must run concurrently, while optimising their output, with transmission weak points, spinning reserves, and priority substation relays all being actively addressed to improve near-term grid reliability.
On metering and tariffs, the Minister argued that estimated billing had for too long penalised consumers aside from causing systemic losses. He assured that his ministry is working with stakeholders to accelerate more meter rollout and reduce the ATC&C losses, including developing a sustainable tariff transition pathway designed to protect the most vulnerable consumers from cost shocks while offering investors the long-term predictability that requires huge capital commitment.
The minister stressed that tariff reform can only be successful if payment compliance is enforced across the board. He urged stakeholders to ensure transparency in the Derived Remittance Obligation calculations, arguing that trust in the electricity market could not rest on opaque arithmetic.