Power Minister Tegbe Assumes Office, Seeks Stronger Collaboration to Reform Electricity Sector

By Jabiru Hassan

Nigeria’s Minister of Power, Chief Joseph Olasunkanmi Tegbe, has pledged to strengthen collaboration, improve governance, and enhance accountability across the country’s electricity sector as he officially assumed office in Abuja.

Speaking during his inaugural meeting with chief executive officers and heads of agencies under the Federal Ministry of Power, Tegbe said achieving the Federal Government’s objectives for the power sector would require a coordinated effort among all stakeholders. He identified key priorities of the administration as increasing power generation capacity, expanding transmission infrastructure, improving sector liquidity, and accelerating investment in renewable energy.

While acknowledging progress made in recent years, the minister said more work was needed to meet the sector’s targets. “This sector faces serious challenges. Technical issues account for only a fraction of those challenges. The larger challenge is governance. No agency, department, or unit can solve these problems alone,” Tegbe said.He called for stronger cooperation among institutions, urging stakeholders to work as “one team with one mandate” through improved communication and coordinated action.

Tegbe also highlighted the importance of the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) in maintaining grid stability and commended the agency for restoring power supply following a recent feeder outage within a 12-hour period.The minister further disclosed plans to introduce a performance-based incentive framework to reward productivity, innovation, and excellence across the sector.

The meeting was attended by leaders of key power sector agencies, including TCN, the National Power Training Institute of Nigeria (NAPTIN), Rural Electrification Agency (REA), Nigerian Independent System Operator (NISO), Nigerian Electricity Management Services Agency (NEMSA), Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC), FGN Power Company, and Nigerian Bulk Electricity Trading Plc (NBET).