The Minister of Power, Chief Joseph Tegbe, has urged stakeholders in the Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry (NESI) to avoid actions that could undermine the country’s decentralised electricity market, stressing that collaboration among federal and state institutions is essential to the success of ongoing power sector reforms.
Speaking at the workshop on Legal, Policy and Regulatory Harmonisation between Federal and State Institutions on the Decentralisation of the Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry, held in Abuja on Tuesday, July 14, 2026, Tegbe said the decentralisation of the electricity sector requires coordinated efforts rather than institutional rivalry.
He noted that while the Federal Government retains a strategic leadership role, state governments now have expanded responsibilities under the Electricity Act, with the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) continuing to regulate areas within its jurisdiction as state regulatory agencies emerge to oversee their respective electricity markets.
The minister explained that transmission remains a national asset, while distribution companies continue to provide electricity to millions of consumers and generation companies supply power to the national grid. He added that private investors remain critical in providing capital, development partners offer technical support, and consumers remain central to all decisions in the sector.
According to him, the various institutions in the electricity value chain are interdependent and must work together to ensure the success of the decentralised market.
“None of these institutions exists in isolation. Our success is interconnected. This is why collaboration must become the defining principle of our decentralised electricity market,” he said.
Tegbe urged stakeholders to pursue collaboration instead of competition, alignment rather than regulatory conflict, and mutual respect in place of jurisdictional rivalry.
He emphasised that the Electricity Act did not create parallel electricity industries but complementary electricity markets operating within a single national framework.
“The objective must therefore be regulatory coherence. Investors should not encounter conflicting rules. Developers should not navigate contradictory approval processes. Consumers should not become casualties of institutional uncertainty. Market participants should enjoy clarity, predictability and confidence wherever they choose to invest,” the minister said.
The workshop focused on strengthening legal, policy and regulatory coordination between federal and state institutions to support the effective implementation of the decentralised electricity market and enhance investor confidence in Nigeria’s power sector.
