Discussing the program with newsmen, TCN General Manager Mojeed Akintola said that if it is well implemented there will be power everywhere in the state and eventually throughout Nigeria.
He recommended that DisCos and GenCos partner with each other as part of their role in the power reform Act, which was approved by the federal government. This Act permits states to generate and distribute electricity for customers.
Mrs. Joy Ogaji, president of the Association of Power Generation Companies (APGC), said that some states had already begun working with the new law: Lagos, Akwa Ibom, Ekiti and Ondo.
“Lagos State has published a policy document to shed light on their vision for the state power market, which is to create an enabling environment for investors that intend to invest and regulate the sector in the state. Akwa Ibom has also gotten a license to distribute to 10 communities,” she said.
Power sector governance expert and Executive Director of Power Up Nigeria, Mr. Adetayo Adegbemle, said that states can develop their distribution networks, produce power locally and use the same to meet local demand—and build industrial capacity at the same time.
Previously, investors could only operate within their states of origin. Now they can do business anywhere in the country. The amendment has freed up this market so that it is no longer limited to a certain region or state in Nigeria, and allowed states to only provide power where the national grid didn’t cover, the amendment now allows states to operate without such limitations,” he added.
