Edo State Governor, Monday Okpebholo, has urged the National Assembly to carry out a diligent legislative investigation into Nigeria’s persistent power outages and repeated national grid collapses, stressing that a functional electricity sector is critical to economic growth.
The governor made the call on Tuesday in Benin City while receiving members of the House of Representatives Adhoc Committee on Power Sector Reform and Expenditure. He was represented at the interface by his deputy, Hon. Dennis Idahosa.
Commending the committee’s leadership and members for their efforts in the Green Chamber and their service to the country, Okpebholo emphasized the central role of electricity in national development.
According to him, “For us to have a robust economy, we must get the power sector right. If we have stable electricity, Nigeria will be one of the best nations on earth.”
Earlier, the committee’s chairman, Hon. Ibrahim Aliyu, explained that the adhoc panel is undertaking a nationwide investigation and audit of power sector reforms implemented between 2007 and 2024.
He said the visit to Edo State was part of the committee’s ongoing fact-finding mission.
“We are in Edo State in continuation of our investigative activities. We have so far seen two generating companies – Azura and the Benin Generating Company,” Aliyu stated.
He added that the committee had also engaged the Benin Electricity Distribution Company (BEDC) to verify submissions earlier made to the panel.
“Today, we engaged the Benin Electricity Distribution Company, (BEDC), all in fact finding mission to establish the truth of what they have submitted before the adhoc committee few weeks ago,” he said.
Aliyu noted that the frequency of grid collapses between 2024 and 2025 raised serious concerns about the factors behind the failures and the overall effectiveness of the power sector privatisation.
He explained that these concerns necessitated a deeper probe, describing the exercise as a “forensic investigation on the policy itself, the strategies and role played by each stakeholders within the electricity sector, from 2007 to 2024.”
The lawmaker further disclosed that the committee would physically inspect projects executed within the period, particularly those funded through various federal government interventions, including contributions from the Central Bank of Nigeria.
“We are also to make physical assessments of some of the issues, since projects are involved, and also, based on the different contributions made by the federal government through the Central Bank of Nigeria,” Aliyu said, adding, “We are out to know the truth and see how we can make things right.”
He also commended the Edo State Government for its contributions to electricity distribution in the state, noting its support in providing transformers and ensuring relatively steady power supply to residents.
In his remarks, the Acting Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of BEDC, Engr. Jonathan Lawani, acknowledged challenges within the electricity generation and distribution value chain, while welcoming the committee’s intervention.
He said, “The fact that the government is concerned and members of the National Assembly are here is a boost for us. Without proper government support and enabling environment, no business can thrive.”
Lawani assured the lawmakers of BEDC’s cooperation, noting that the company was making available all required information to aid legislative action.
“We welcome the committee and are providing all necessary information that will enable them to provide necessary legislative support that will make the business move forward,” he said.
He further stated that BEDC was exploring alternative measures to mitigate the impact of grid instability. “In BEDC, we will be doing everything to provide outside support for the grid challenges we have been having,” Lawani said.
According to him, inadequate grid allocation remains a major constraint to meeting customer demand within BEDC’s franchise area. “We recognise the fact that the grid allocation we are having is not enough, adequate, and sufficient enough to power every customer within our franchise area,” he explained.
He added that the company had turned to off-grid solutions to supplement supply, noting, “So, we have gone outside the grid to support and augment whatever we have. And, we are bringing people back to the grid to enjoy good power supply.”
