Vice President Kashim Shettima has urged state governments to build functioning electricity markets and attract private investment rather than depend solely on the federal government to improve power supply.
He asked states that have not established electricity regulators to begin doing so, saying the Electricity Act 2023 would not deliver reliable power without institutions and investment to put it into practice.
Shettima spoke through the Deputy Chief of Staff to the President, Senator Ibrahim Hassan Hadejia, at a national workshop on the Act at the Presidential Villa in Abuja on Wednesday, October 21.
He said the law allows states to develop and regulate electricity markets within their jurisdictions. Reliable supply, he said, was necessary for businesses, households and public institutions, and for Nigeria’s ambition to build a competitive industrial economy.
The vice president pointed to solar resources in Sokoto, Borno and Katsina, gas in Delta, Rivers and Bayelsa, and hydropower opportunities in Niger and Kebbi. He urged states to turn those resources into investments serving agriculture, manufacturing, healthcare and education.
He also proposed a voluntary National Electricity Reform Peer Review and Implementation Framework, Daily Trust reported. It would bring together the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission, the Federal Ministry of Power, the Nigeria Governors’ Forum and state regulators to share experience and assess market development, investment readiness, consumer protection and access.
The newspaper also quoted the governors’ forum’s Director-General, Abdulateef Shittu, as saying work was under way on a standard tariff framework to protect consumers while encouraging investment. NERC’s Head of Compliance, Hauwa Yakubu, said regulatory responsibilities had been transferred to 17 states, with Akwa Ibom the latest.
Sources: Daily Trust, Daily Post
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