Senator Titus Akintunde has urged the Federal Government to fully privatise Nigeria’s electricity sector by extending privatisation to the transmission arm, which he says remains outdated and underutilised compared to the already-privatised generation and distribution segments.
Akintunde, who holds a PhD in Energy and Environmental Studies, made the call while speaking on the state of the national grid infrastructure. He argued that a comprehensive approach to privatisation is critical for modernising Nigeria’s power sector and unlocking investment.
“If you look at the infrastructure in transmission, they are old and underutilised,” he said. “We need to replicate what was done with generation and distribution.”
The lawmaker also advocated the return of subsidies in the power sector, insisting they are essential for driving economic growth and improving competitiveness. He described energy subsidies as a global standard rather than an anomaly.
“There is nowhere in the world where power is not being subsidised even in the United Kingdom,” he noted. “We cannot abandon subsidies simply because they were previously mismanaged.”
Akintunde stressed that affordable electricity is a cornerstone of any stable economy, adding, “Energy should be subsidised; it is a fundamental pillar of economic management.”
He called for targeted reforms to ensure transparency and accountability in subsidy administration while prioritising access and affordability for consumers and small businesses.
