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The Federal Government has stopped its decision to transfer electricity regulatory oversight to state governments.
The Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, announced this Monday during a two-day stakeholders workshop in Lagos, focused on implementing the Electricity Act, organized by the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission.
Adelabu's statement comes after a previous announcement of plans to halt the transfer of regulatory autonomy to states temporarily and instead conduct a trial phase with selected states, leading to confusion about the minister's authority to issue such a directive against the Act.
However, during the workshop, Adelabu clarified that the federal government would comply with the law and not act against it.
“Granting of regulatory autonomy to states is a provision of the new Act and no one person can single-handedly go against the Act,” he said.
“It’s a provision of the law and no law-abiding officer of the state will want to go against the law. It is already included and it must be duly respected.”
Adelabu stated that the event addressed the potential challenges that might surface while transitioning.
NERC transferred oversight of the electricity market to three states, Ondo, Ekiti, and Enugu, in April as required by the Electricity Act. This transfer must be completed within six months after a state follows the prescribed legal process.
