Abuja: Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, says the ministry is working closely with development partners to strengthen Nigeria’s electricity infrastructure and achieve greater system reliability, stressing that collaboration is key to stabilising supply and driving sustainable growth in the power sector.
Adelabu said this in Abuja on Wednesday at the maiden edition of the Nigerian Independent System Operator (NISO) stakeholders’ engagement.
The engagement has the theme “Building a Resilient and Competitive Electricity Market—the Role of NISO.
According to Adelabu, the government’s priorities remain consistent: to build a reliable and secure power system capable of meeting national demand, and to promote a competitive electricity market that encourages investment and efficiency.
He also said that the government’s priority was to ensure stable operations across the grid and to improve the quality of supply available to Nigerian homes and industries.
“Efforts are ongoing to strengthen regulatory alignment between the central and subnational governments, expand transmission infrastructure, improve sector commercialisation,
“Ensure reliable and sustainable supply, and support initiatives that enable states’ market development in line with the provisions of the law,” he said.
According to the minister, NISO as an organisation has started on a great note. Still, it is essential to emphasise that the effectiveness of any agency will depend significantly on the cooperation it receives from market participants.
“All stakeholders in the power sector must support the organisation by complying with established procedures, providing timely information, and participating actively in engagements such as this one.
“This engagement provides us with an opportunity to reinforce collaboration across the value chain.
“Our system operators, generation companies, transmission service providers, distribution licensees, regulators, market participants, state governments, and consumers all have essential roles to play.
“No single institution can deliver a stable and efficient power sector in isolation,” he said.
Adelabu emphasised that progress in the sector depended on collective responsibility and adherence to established procedures.
He added that continuous communication among all stakeholders, along with recent events in the sector, had demonstrated the importance of strong coordination.
He said that the collaboration also underscored the Federal Government’s unwavering commitment, under the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Tinubu, to deepen power sector reforms.
“Attract private investment, and unlock the vast renewable energy potential within our states and communities, “he said.
On his part, the Managing Director of NISO, Mr Abdu Mohammed, said that the event’s theme “speaks directly to the opportunities before stakeholders in the power sector and the collective responsibilities that must be fulfilled.”
According to him, a genuinely competitive and investor-friendly electricity market rests on operational discipline, transparent governance, and strict adherence to market rules, the grid code, the metering code, and other regulatory instruments.
“These principles lie at the foundation of NISO’s mandate.
“As we gather here today, we operate in a power sector undergoing rapid transformation – driven by decentralisation, state electricity markets, technological shifts, and increasing expectations from investors and consumers alike.
“These developments demand that NISO steps forward as a credible, impartial, and competent operator that ensures fairness, reliability, and operational excellence in both the grid and the market,” he said.
Mohammed said that throughout the engagement, NISO would clarify its mandate and technical functions; identify vulnerabilities in grid and market operations, discuss mechanisms for ensuring resilience and operational stability and strengthen institutional and commercial collaboration.
He said that NISO would also reinforce compliance as a non-negotiable requirement and build consensus on reforms needed to enhance market confidence and performance.
“We have come together at a defining moment.
“For years, Nigeria’s electricity market has carried the weight of structural limitations, legacy bottlenecks, governance ambiguities, operational constraints, and weak market confidence.
“Yet, it has also carried something else, immense promise.
“The establishment of the NISO signals stakeholders’ collective decision to unlock that promise through professionalism, neutrality, and a new market philosophy anchored on fairness and efficiency,” he said.
