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The Minister of Power, Chief Joseph Tegbe, has urged stakeholders in the Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry (NESI) to avoid regulatory actions that could undermine Nigeria's decentralised electricity market, stressing that collaboration among federal and state institutions is critical to the sector's success.
Tegbe made the call at the Workshop on Legal, Policy and Regulatory Harmonisation between Federal and State Institutions on the Decentralisation of the Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry, held in Abuja.
According to a statement signed by the Commission of the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) on Thursday, the minister said the decentralisation of the electricity sector requires clear coordination rather than rivalry among regulators and other market participants.
He noted that while the Federal Government retains a strategic leadership role, state governments now have expanded responsibilities under the Electricity Act. He added that NERC continues to regulate areas within its jurisdiction, while state electricity regulators are emerging to oversee their respective markets.
The minister said transmission remains a national asset, distribution companies continue to serve millions of electricity consumers, generation companies supply power to the national grid, private investors provide capital, development partners offer technical support, and consumers remain central to all policy decisions.
"Our success is interconnected. This is why collaboration must become the defining principle of our decentralised electricity market. We must ensure collaboration rather than competition between institutions. We must build alignment instead of regulatory conflict. We must practice mutual respect instead of jurisdictional rivalry," Tegbe said.
He stressed that the Electricity Act was designed to establish complementary electricity markets operating within a single national framework, rather than parallel electricity industries.
According to the minister, regulatory coherence is essential to attracting investment and ensuring efficient service delivery.
"Investors should not encounter conflicting rules. Developers should not navigate contradictory approval processes. Consumers should not become casualties of institutional uncertainty. Market participants should enjoy clarity, predictability and confidence wherever they choose to invest," he added.