The Action Democratic Party (ADP) has called on the Federal Government to implement urgent reforms in Nigeria’s electricity sector, demanding greater transparency in public investments and strict accountability for funds committed to the power industry. In a statement issued on Wednesday, ADP National Chairman Engr. Yabagi Yusuf Sani proposed a National Electricity Transformation Programme spanning 2027 to 2035, arguing that the country cannot achieve meaningful industrialisation while millions of citizens and businesses remain without reliable power.
The party’s demands were made in reaction to a global electrification initiative emerging from the 31st United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP31), which seeks to increase electricity’s share of global final energy consumption to 35 per cent by 2035. Sani described this development as a critical opportunity for Nigeria to address a major obstacle to national development, urging the government to translate global ambitions into tangible economic benefits.
According to the ADP chairman, Nigeria is endowed with natural gas, hydroelectric resources, and abundant sunshine, yet the population continues to suffer from inadequate supply. He noted that industries, small businesses, and households bear enormous financial burdens from generating their own electricity, a situation that has undermined manufacturing competitiveness, increased production costs, contributed to inflation, and discouraged investment. Sani emphasized that the crisis stems not only from inadequate generating capacity but also from governance issues, institutional inefficiency, and a lack of investment discipline.
To address these challenges, the ADP outlined several key proposals, including:
- Establishment of a comprehensive and adequately funded National Electricity Transformation Programme (2027–2035) to expand access, improve reliability, and modernise infrastructure.
- An independent technical and financial audit of major electricity projects, public expenditure, subsidies, and contractual commitments, with findings made publicly accessible.
- A publicly accessible framework for monitoring sector contracts, expenditure, and actual service delivery, with accountability measures for mismanagement or diversion of resources.
The party further advocated for prioritising electricity investments in manufacturing clusters, agricultural processing, healthcare, education, and digital infrastructure. It called for a balanced utilisation of domestic energy resources, including natural gas, hydropower, solar energy, and storage technologies, while seeking climate financing arrangements that promote technology transfer and domestic manufacturing without imposing unsustainable debt on future generations.
“No nation can achieve sustainable industrialisation, technological advancement or meaningful economic independence without dependable electricity,” Sani said. “Nigerians deserve results, not endless promises, abandoned projects or recurring explanations for institutional failure.”
The ADP maintained that electricity should be regarded as essential national economic infrastructure rather than merely a commercial commodity, indispensable to food security, healthcare, and poverty reduction. Sani cautioned against allowing the global energy transition to become a vehicle for accumulating foreign loans or enriching a privileged few, urging all stakeholders to work towards a credible, transparent, and nationally coordinated agenda measured by functioning factories, job creation, and improved living standards.
<small>Source: Vanguard News — read the original story there.</small>
