Tinubu Nominates Joseph Tegbe as New Minister of Power, Appoints Babalola to Lead Reform Task Force

Nigeria has a new minister of power in the making. President Bola Tinubu has nominated Joseph Olasunkanmi Tegbe for the role, transmitting the appointment to the Senate for screening and confirmation. At the same time, Tinubu appointed former power minister Lanre Babalola as Special Adviser on Power and chairman of a new Presidential Task Force on Power Sector Reset and Restoration.

The reshuffle follows the resignation of Adebayo Adelabu, who stepped down to chase the Oyo State governorship. Like Adelabu, Tegbe is also from Oyo State.

Who Is Joseph Tegbe?

Tegbe is not a politician. He comes with 35 years of experience across the public and private sectors, including a senior partner and head of advisory services role at KPMG Africa, where he led work in fiscal policy reform, governance restructuring, and institutional transformation.

He currently serves as Director-General and Global Liaison for the Nigeria-China Strategic Partnership, coordinating bilateral development cooperation between Nigeria and China under FOCAC objectives. His power sector exposure includes regulatory and institutional reform work with the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) and the Nigerian Bulk Electricity Trading Company (NBET).

The presidency described the nomination as designed to “strengthen ongoing efforts to stabilise the national grid, improve sector efficiency, and attract long-term investment into the electricity value chain.”

The Task at Hand

Whoever runs the power ministry steps into one of Nigeria’s most punishing briefs. The country has an installed capacity of over 12,000 megawatts but struggles to consistently deliver even a third of that to homes and businesses. Transmission constraints, gas supply shortfalls, chronic sector debt, and frequent grid collapses have frustrated reforms across multiple administrations.

Tinubu’s appointment of Babalola — a former minister who has been through the sector before — to lead the task force alongside the new minister signals an intent to push harder on structural fixes, not just management changes.

Tegbe’s confirmation hearing before the Senate is expected in the coming days.

Sources: Punch, TheCable, BusinessDay