Susan Abayomi
The Federal Government and the Lagos State Government have agreed to strengthen collaboration towards achieving stable and reliable electricity supply in Lagos under the 24/7 Energy Zones pilot programme approved by President Bola Tinubu.
The agreement was reached during a high-level technical meeting held at Lagos House, Marina, between the Minister of Power, Joseph Tegbe, and senior officials of the Ministry and Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu.
The 24/7 Energy Zones initiative is expected to commence in Lagos before extending to the Abuja-Kaduna-Kano and Enugu-Port Harcourt corridors, with the broader objective of improving electricity supply across Nigeria’s major commercial and industrial centres.
Tegbe said the Federal Ministry of Power had engaged electricity distribution companies and obtained commitments from them to increase power offtake and provide more stable and reliable electricity to consumers along the Lagos corridor.
He also expressed the Ministry’s readiness to work closely with the Lagos State Government on four priority areas identified by the President: grid stabilisation, market liquidity, grid expansion, and governance and regulatory harmonisation.
Governor Sanwo-Olu welcomed the Federal Government’s initiative, commending the delegation for demonstrating what he described as a serious commitment to addressing longstanding challenges in the power sector.
The governor said Tegbe had, since assuming office as Minister of Power, demonstrated a willingness and capacity to tackle some of the persistent challenges affecting the sector.
Sanwo-Olu said Lagos State was equally committed to the initiative, stressing the importance of developing practical solutions that would make the electricity market more efficient and beneficial to Nigerians, particularly residents and businesses in Lagos.
He also called for the development of a bankable, collaborative and competitive electricity market capable of supporting the state’s economic and industrial growth.
As part of efforts to translate the commitments into concrete action, Tegbe announced the establishment of a Joint Technical Committee to examine outstanding technical and regulatory challenges and recommend practical next steps.
The committee will be chaired by the Managing Director of the Nigerian Independent System Operator (NISO), with the Permanent Secretary of the Lagos State Ministry of Energy serving as co-chair.
Its membership will include representatives of the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC), Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN), Rural Electrification Agency (REA), Lagos State Electricity Regulatory Commission (LASERC), Lagos Independent System Operator (LAISO), Lagos State Electricity Agency (LSEA), and the Office of the Minister of Power.
The Joint Technical Committee will report to a Steering Committee to be chaired by Governor Sanwo-Olu and co-chaired by the Minister of Power.
Other members of the Steering Committee include the Special Adviser to the President on Power, the Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Power and the Lagos State Commissioner for Energy.
The meeting was also attended by the Special Adviser to the President on Power, Dr Lanre Babalola; Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Power, Alhaji Mahmuda Mamman; Lagos State Deputy Governor, Dr Kadiri Obafemi Hamzat; Commissioner for Energy, Mr Biodun Ogunleye; as well as the Managing Directors of TCN, NISO and REA and other senior officials from the Federal Ministry of Power and Lagos State Government.
