After months of blackouts, President Bola Tinubu has begun a fresh restructuring of Nigeria’s power sector with the nomination of a new minister of power and the appointment of a special adviser to head a presidential task force on sector reforms.
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In a move aimed at accelerating reforms in the electricity value chain, the President nominated Mr Joseph Tegbe as Minister of Power, subject to Senate confirmation, while also appointing a former power minister, Mr Lanre Babalola, as Special Adviser on Power and Chairman of the Presidential Task Force on Power Sector Reset and Restoration.
In a move aimed at accelerating reforms in the electricity value chain, the President nominated Mr Joseph Tegbe as Minister of Power, subject to Senate confirmation, while also appointing a former power minister, Mr Lanre Babalola, as Special Adviser on Power and Chairman of the Presidential Task Force on Power Sector Reset and Restoration.
The developments were contained in separate State House press releases issued on Wednesday by the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga.
According to the presidency, Tegbe’s nomination follows the resignation of the former Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, who stepped down to pursue his governorship ambition in Oyo State.
Tegbe, another indigene of Oyo State, is described by the presidency as a fiscal and economic reform expert with more than 35 years of experience across both the public and private sectors.
He was said to have previously served as senior partner and head of advisory services at KPMG Africa, where he led assignments in fiscal policy reform, governance restructuring, institutional transformation, and investment advisory.
He has also worked closely with government institutions and private sector operators on regulatory frameworks and strategic reforms.
At present, he serves as Director-General and Global Liaison for the Nigeria-China Strategic Partnership, where he coordinates bilateral development cooperation between Nigeria and China, particularly in line with the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation objectives.
The presidency also noted that Tegbe has had significant engagement within the power sector, especially in areas relating to regulatory and institutional reforms involving agencies such as the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission and the Nigerian Bulk Electricity Trading Company.
His nomination, according to the statement, is expected to strengthen ongoing efforts to stabilise the national grid, improve sector efficiency, and attract long-term investment into the electricity value chain.
“The President expects the Minister-Designate, upon confirmation, to bring his extensive expertise to bear to advance critical reforms and deliver improved outcomes for Nigerians in the power sector,” Onanuga stated.
In a separate development, Tinubu appointed Babalola as his Special Adviser on Power and Chairman of the Presidential Task Force on Power Sector Reset and Restoration.
Babalola, a former minister of power, is returning to a sector he once supervised, with the presidency describing him as bringing deep sectoral expertise and a proven understanding of the structural and operational challenges within the electricity value chain.
“Mr Babalola, a former minister for power, brings deep sectoral expertise and a proven understanding of the structural and operational challenges within the electricity value chain. His appointment underscores the President’s determination to undertake a decisive and results-driven reset of Nigeria’s power sector,” the statement said.
The presidency also announced a redesignation within the energy governance structure, stating that the Office of the Special Adviser (Energy), currently held by Olu Verheijen, has been renamed Special Adviser (Oil & Gas) in a move aimed at clarifying roles and reducing duplication of responsibilities.
“The President has also redesignated the Office of the Special Adviser (Energy) as the Special Adviser (Oil & Gas) to clarify roles and avoid duplication of functions within the energy governance framework,” Onanuga said.
According to the statement, the newly created task force will serve as a high-level delivery platform with a direct presidential mandate to drive urgent reforms across the electricity sector.
Its responsibilities include resetting the structure of the power sector, enforcing a ‘performance before expansion’ framework, reducing technical, commercial, and collection losses, and strengthening tariff discipline and cost recovery mechanisms.
The task force is also expected to improve revenue assurance, restore grid discipline, enhance market efficiency, promote productive electricity usage across key sectors, and develop electricity growth zones aimed at boosting industrial demand.
Onanuga added that it will further focus on reducing fiscal exposure to the power sector and is expected to deliver a 90-day implementation blueprint for immediate reforms.
Babalola’s appointment, the presidency said, reflects the administration’s push for a more results-driven approach to electricity reforms under the Renewed Hope Agenda.
“The President expects Mr Babalola to bring urgency, discipline, and a strong execution focus to this assignment to deliver measurable improvements in power supply and sector performance,” Onanuga added.
