LAGOS, Dec. 31, 2025 (Naija247news) – Energy expert Dr. Olukayode Akinrolabu has urged the Federal Government to prioritise transparency, clear communication, and stakeholder engagement in Nigeria’s power sector reforms, warning that openness is essential for restoring public confidence and achieving sustainable progress.
Speaking in Lagos in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), Akinrolabu, Chairman of the Customer Consultative Forum for Festac and Satellite Town, stressed that transparent policies, clearly defined timelines, and regular updates on reform milestones are crucial to building trust among investors, consumers, and industry operators.
“While Nigeria’s power sector outlook for 2026 is promising, it is not without obvious challenges. Significant improvements are achievable if all grey areas are properly addressed,” he said.
Akinrolabu highlighted financial sustainability as a major issue, urging the government to strengthen revenue collection, reduce subsidies gradually, and eliminate internal sabotage that hampers sector efficiency. He also emphasised the need for active collaboration with private sector operators and international partners to accelerate reforms and attract investment.
Key challenges identified include inadequate gas supply, attributed to infrastructure gaps and security constraints, and aging transmission infrastructure that increases energy losses. The expert recommended urgent investment in gas production, upgrades to transmission networks, improved metering, reduction of technical losses, and stricter enforcement of performance metrics for DisCos.
He also urged Generation Companies (GenCos) to optimise gas utilisation, boost generation capacity, and maintain facilities consistently, while advising the Transmission Company of Nigeria to invest in infrastructure to reduce outages. Strengthened regulatory oversight across the value chain, he added, is essential for accountability and transparency.
“The sector must be rid of bad eggs facilitating internal sabotage. Saboteurs must be eliminated for meaningful progress to take place,” Akinrolabu said.
Looking beyond fossil fuels, Akinrolabu advocated exploring renewable energy sources such as solar and wind, market diversification, increased private sector participation, and comprehensive demographic-based metering to complement gas-based generation.
Emman Tochi ✔
Emma Tochi is Naija247news Media Northern Bureau Chief, he's based in FCT Abuja. He overseas the northern operations of this business media
View Archive →
