- The minister’s statement on suspending regulatory autonomy to states three days ago has put him under fire.
- Adelabu clarified the statement, agreeing with experts on the constitutionality of NERC’s transfer of regulatory oversight to states.
The minister of power, Adebayo Adelabu, has said the statement quoting him as suspending regulatory autonomy to states is far from the truth.
Recall that last week, during the 8th edition of the Africa Energy Market Place (AEMP) Nigeria in Abuja, Adelabu was quoted as saying that the ministry has now halted the process of transferring regulatory oversight from the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission to states.
According to him, this is due to the imperative to ensure that state governments and stakeholders in the power sector properly understand the requirements for operating an electricity market.
Experts have also disagreed with the statement, stating that the transfer of regulatory oversight to states is constitutional and subject to the provisions of the Electricity Act 2023.
On June 8 2023, President Bola Tinubu signed the Electricity Bill into law, now the Electricity Act 2023. The Act allows states, companies, and individuals to generate, transmit, and distribute electricity. This new legislation replaces the Electric Power Sector Reform Act, enacted in 2005 by former president Olusegun Obasanjo.
However, in a video circulating on social media, Adelabu said, “The minister has suspended granting regulatory autonomy to the states. That is so far from the truth. Granting regulatory autonomy to the states is a provision of the new Act, and no one person can singlehandedly go against the Act.
“Yes, it is a provision of the law, and no law-abiding officer of the state will want to go against the law. It is already in there, and it must be duly respected.”