FG, operators differ on states’ capacity to regulate power sector

— NERC Marks 20th Anniversary

By Obas Esiedesa, Abuja

The Federal Government and investors successful the Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry (NESI) person disagreed implicit whether authorities governments presently person the capableness to efficaciously modulate and negociate energy markets wrong their jurisdictions.

Speaking astatine an lawsuit successful Abuja to people the 20th day of the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC), the Minister of Power, Chief Adebayo Adelabu, said devolving regulatory powers to states would boost proviso and amended ratio successful the sector.

Represented by the Director of Distribution, Umar Mustapha, the curate said the Electricity Act enables states to harness section resources to conscionable their vigor needs.

“The Act allows states to instrumentality complaint of their destinies. They tin leverage unsocial resources—solar, hydro, oregon wind—to physique grids that service their economical and societal priorities,” Adelabu said.

He cautioned against hasty amendments to the Act, urging stakeholders to let afloat implementation earlier making changes.

“The Federal Government has provided the argumentation framework; the states present person the autonomy to act, portion the backstage assemblage brings successful superior and innovation. We indispensable fto the exemplary mature earlier seeking further amendments,” helium added.

However, immoderate operators disagreed. The Group Managing Director of Sahara Power Group, Mr. Kola Adesina, argued that astir states deficiency the capableness to efficaciously negociate energy markets.

“The states don’t person the resources to physique energy infrastructure. When inefficiency is decentralized, it lone spreads the problem. There indispensable beryllium alignment betwixt argumentation and regulation,” Adesina said.

Earlier, NERC’s Vice Chairman, Mr. Musiliu Oseni, reviewed the commission’s advancement implicit the past 2 decades, noting that 15 states person received transportation orders to found their ain regulators.

“Eleven states person completed the six-month modulation period, but lone 8 are operational. There is simply a vacuum successful Edo, Ogun, and Oyo states,” Oseni said.

He urged caller authorities regulators to support professionalism and independence, informing that regularisation indispensable beryllium grounded successful method competence alternatively than politics.

“Regulation is not populism oregon activism. It requires analytical rigour, independence, and the knowing that determination indispensable archetypal beryllium a viable inferior earlier determination tin beryllium a regulator,” Oseni stated.