The Federal Government and the National Assembly have reiterated their commitment to supporting complementary roles for electricity regulators as Nigeria transitions to a multi-tier electricity market. They made the pledge at a workshop in Abuja on legal, policy and regulatory harmonisation for the decentralisation of the Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry.

The Special Adviser to the President on Power and Chairman of the Presidential Task Force on Power Sector Reset and Restoration, Mr. Rilwan Lanre Babalola, said electricity is the foundation for industrialisation, job creation and national prosperity. He urged stakeholders to embrace the transition as partners working towards one Nigerian electricity market, rather than protecting separate jurisdictions.

Mr. Babalola noted that reform naturally creates new interfaces and questions around regulatory boundaries, market oversight, technical standards and commercial arrangements. He said such issues must be resolved through dialogue, cooperation and mutual respect, adding that harmonisation is fundamental to preserving one efficient national market.Paragraph 4: Interconnected System

He stressed that while the Electricity Act decentralises aspects of governance, it does not decentralise the physics of electricity. According to him, Nigeria’s networks remain interconnected, markets remain interdependent, and prosperity remains shared, making regulatory alignment non-negotiable.

Chairman of the Senate Committee on Power, Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe, reaffirmed the Committee’s commitment to an enabling law that allows Federal and State electricity regulators to perform complementary roles. He said success should be measured by whether Nigeria achieves a coherent, efficient and bankable market, not just by the number of states that set up electricity markets.

Senator Abaribe added that Nigeria requires harmonised rules governing the relationship between the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission, NERC, and State Electricity Regulatory Commissions. He said competing roles between regulators would undermine the objectives of decentralisation.

Also speaking, the Minister of Power, Chief Joseph Tegbe, and the Chairman of NERC, Dr. Musiliu Oseni, emphasized the need to harmonise regulatory and operational activities in the Nigerian Electricity Market. The workshop was held on July 20, 2026, as part of efforts to ensure a smooth transition to the new multi-tier market structure.