Calls For Minister Adelabu’s Dismissal Intensify Amidst Power Sector Struggles And Conflicts

Calls For Minister Adelabu’s Dismissal Intensify Amidst Power Sector Struggles And Conflicts

Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu’s recent contradictions regarding the transfer of electricity regulatory oversight to the states have added to his list of perceived failures. This has further intensified calls for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to dismiss Adelabu as he approaches his one-year anniversary in office on May 29, 2024.

Last Friday, at the 8th Edition of the Africa Energy Market Place in Abuja, Adelabu announced the suspension of state governments’ electricity regulatory oversight. This announcement appears to be in direct conflict with the 2023 Electricity Act, causing significant controversy.

Adelabu made his comments during a two-day stakeholders’ workshop organized by the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) in Lagos. He clarified that the federal government would not contravene the 2023 Electricity Act.

“The grant of regulatory autonomy to states is a provision of the new Act, and no one person can single-handedly go against the Act. It’s a provision of the law and no law-abiding officer of the state will want to go against the law. It is already included, and it must be duly respected,” Adelabu stated.

In April, NERC transferred oversight of the electricity market to the states of Enugu, Ekiti, and Ondo, initiating the decentralization of Nigeria’s power sector. Under this plan, states would control the entire generation, transmission, and distribution value chain. This marks the first significant structural change in the Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry since the 2013 privatization, which initially raised similar hopes that were ultimately unfulfilled. The Minister’s contradictory statements have further muddled the situation.

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