Power Sector: Failures And Contradictions Intensify Calls For Minister Adelabu’s Removal

Power Sector: Failures And Contradictions Intensify Calls For Minister Adelabu’s Removal

Published on May 21, 2024
By Noah Abdulsalam

Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, faces growing criticism due to recent contradictory statements regarding the transfer of electricity regulatory oversight to the states, adding to his list of missteps……read also Northeast Governors Decry Region’s Blackout, Plan To Establish Solar Power Plants

This controversy has fueled calls for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to dismiss Adelabu before his one-year anniversary in office on May 29, 2024. Adelabu’s announcement last Friday at the 8th Edition of Africa Energy Marketplace in Abuja about suspending state government’s electricity regulatory oversight has sparked an outcry, as it contradicts the 2023 Electricity Act.

Speaking at a Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) workshop in Lagos, Adelabu asserted that the federal government would uphold the 2023 Electricity Act, which grants regulatory autonomy to states. “The grant of regulatory autonomy to states is a provision of the new Act, and no one person can single-handedly go against the Act,” he stated.

In April, NERC transferred oversight of the electricity market to Enugu, Ekiti, and Ondo states, marking a significant decentralization of Nigeria’s power sector. This shift is intended to allow states to control the entire generation, transmission, and distribution value chain. However, this restructuring is the first of its kind since the 2013 privatization, which failed to meet its promises.

Adelabu’s inconsistent comments have exacerbated the situation. His infamous April remark blaming Nigeria’s power issues on citizens switching on their freezers during a 240-hour electricity price hike period stirred public anger. He later apologized for suggesting that Nigerians misuse electricity because it is cheap.

During a Senate Committee on Power appearance, Adelabu threatened that Nigeria would face darkness if the electricity price hike was not implemented, offending citizens already dealing with unreliable power supply. In 2024 alone, the country has experienced blackouts on February 4, March 28, and April 15. Power generation remains stagnant between 3000 and 5000 megawatts since before privatization.

Many Nigerians and stakeholders are calling for Adelabu’s dismissal. Bolaji Tunji, Adelabu’s Special Adviser on Strategic Communications and Media Relations, defended the Minister’s performance, claiming improvements in Nigeria’s electricity supply.

However, Professor Emeritus Wumi Iledare, Executive Director of the Emmanuel Egbogah Foundation, criticized the current administration’s lack of policy consistency, which he believes hampers sustainable national development. “Policy irregularities cannot translate to informed decisions leading to sustainable development. Only transformational ideas and policies can achieve that,” Iledare stated.

Eze Onyekpere, Lead Director of the Centre for Social Justice, and Ewetumo A. A., a retired staff member of the defunct Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN), have both called for Adelabu’s removal. They argue that his performance and errors show he is unfit for the job. Onyekpere noted, “The truth is that the Minister is the worst performing in terms of all measures. Can you stop a law made by the National Assembly and signed by the president? He is evidently confused.”

This situation echoes the dismissal of former Power Minister Maman Saleh by President Muhammadu Buhari in September 2021, underscoring the ongoing challenges in Nigeria’s power sector.