Tinubu Appoints Former Power Minister As Special Adviser

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has appointed Mr. Rilwan Lanre Babalola as Special Adviser to the President on Power and Chairman of the Presidential Task Force on Power Sector Reset and Restoration.

According to Ireporter Online, the appointment was confirmed on Thursday in a statement issued by the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga.

The President also approved the redesignation of the Office of the Special Adviser (Energy) to Special Adviser (Oil & Gas), a move aimed at streamlining responsibilities and eliminating overlaps within the country’s energy governance structure.

Mr. Babalola, a former Minister of Power, is expected to leverage his extensive experience in the electricity sector to address longstanding structural and operational challenges affecting the power value chain.

The statement noted that his appointment reflects President Tinubu’s commitment to a comprehensive and results-oriented overhaul of Nigeria’s electricity sector. It added that the Presidential Task Force he will lead is mandated to function as a high-level delivery platform tasked with restoring efficiency, discipline, and commercial sustainability in the sector while ensuring effective coordination among relevant government agencies.

It further explained that the Task Force will drive a full system reset of the power sector, enforce a “Performance Before Expansion” policy, reduce technical and commercial losses, and improve cost discipline alongside tariff integrity. Other responsibilities include strengthening revenue assurance, restoring grid stability, improving market efficiency, expanding productive electricity use across key industries, and developing Electricity Growth Zones.

The statement also highlighted plans to reduce fiscal burdens on government and deliver a 90-day implementation roadmap focused on measurable improvements in power supply and sector performance.

President Tinubu, according to the statement, expects Mr. Babalola to bring urgency, discipline, and strong execution capacity to the role in line with the Renewed Hope Agenda, aimed at delivering tangible progress in Nigeria’s power sector.