Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has urged stakeholders in the electricity sector to take urgent and decisive action to end persistent power outages in the state, stressing that reliable electricity is essential to driving economic growth and improving competitiveness.
Sanwo-Olu made the call at a high-level strategic town hall meeting held at the State House, Marina, with the theme, “Ending the Culture of Blackouts and Building a Sustainable 24/7 Power Economy in Lagos State.”
The meeting brought together government officials, regulators, investors and private-sector operators to deliberate on practical strategies for achieving a stable and sustainable electricity supply across Lagos.
The state’s Deputy Governor, Kadri Hamzat, members of the State Executive Council and other senior government officials were present at the meeting.
Representatives of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission, International Finance Corporation, Africa Finance Corporation, Lagos State Electricity Regulatory Commission and the Independent System Operator also participated in the discussions.
The governor said addressing Lagos’ electricity challenges was critical to unlocking sustained economic growth and developing a power market capable of meeting the needs of businesses, industries and households.
He called on stakeholders to demonstrate a greater sense of urgency and set aside institutional interests in order to tackle the major obstacles hindering progress in the sector.
“We need to drop corporate egos, abandon long-standing excuses, and confront the harsh realities obstructing progress in the power sector,” Sanwo-Olu said.
The governor expressed concern that repeated meetings and discussions had yielded limited results, insisting that the sector could no longer afford to rely on promises without measurable action.
He also highlighted the impact of recent reforms and decentralisation in Nigeria’s electricity sector, which have provided state governments with greater authority to establish and manage their own power systems.
According to him, the reforms had eliminated the previous excuse that states could not take greater responsibility for electricity because the sector was entirely centralised.
“We, state governments, used to give excuses that everything is centralised, so the Federal Government has unbundled it now. What have we done in a year and a half?” he asked.
Sanwo-Olu noted that despite the establishment of institutions such as the Lagos State Electricity Regulatory Commission, the state continued to face significant challenges in securing reliable power.
“We take two steps forward, we go five steps backward,” the governor remarked.
He subsequently called for a closed-door session with stakeholders to critically examine the structural problems affecting the electricity sector, assess areas where government had fallen short and review performance gaps among private-sector operators.
Sanwo-Olu said the engagement should result in a practical and measurable roadmap for improving electricity supply, rather than another set of recommendations that would not be implemented.
He maintained that the ultimate objective was to establish a dependable 24-hour electricity system capable of powering Lagos’ economy while improving the living conditions of residents.
The governor stressed that achieving a sustainable power economy would require stronger cooperation among government institutions, regulators, investors and industry operators, alongside a firm commitment to implementing agreed solutions.
BACKSTORY:
Lagos State has continued to face electricity supply challenges, with frequent power outages affecting households, businesses and industries across the state. The situation has increased pressure on government and private-sector operators to find lasting solutions to the state’s power problems.
Following reforms that gave states greater responsibility in regulating and developing their electricity markets, the Lagos State Government has been pushing for a more reliable and sustainable power system.
It was against this backdrop that Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu convened a high-level strategic town hall meeting with key stakeholders in the electricity sector. The forum focused on identifying the major obstacles to reliable power supply and developing practical measures towards achieving a 24/7 electricity economy in Lagos.
The governor’s call for urgent action reflects growing concerns that prolonged discussions without measurable implementation will not resolve the state’s electricity challenges.
