Business
Poor power supply: Govs unite to break Discos monopoly
As part of measures to achieve this objective, the governors have agreed to take steps to break the monopoly of Discos in power distribution across the states.
In March 2023, then-President Muhammadu Buhari signed into law the constitutional amendment allowing states in the country to licence, generate, transmit, and distribute electricity.
This was made known in a tweet by the presidential media spokesperson, Tolu Ogunlesi.
“Another landmark change. By virtue of the presidential assent, Nigerian states can now generate, transmit, and distribute electricity in areas covered by the national grid. (This) wasn’t allowed pre-amendment. This is genuine, realistic restructuring — through the constitution,” he wrote.
With the Fifth Alteration Bill No. 33, Devolution of Powers (National Grid System), Nigeria’s 36 states can now generate their own electricity.
President Bola Tinubu recently signed the Electricity Act of 2023 into law, marking an important development in the country’s electricity sector.
This Act aims to break the monopoly in electricity generation, transmission, and distribution at the national level.
The Act grants the power to generate, transmit, and distribute electricity to states, companies, and individuals.
In March 2023, Buhari had signed a constitutional amendment allowing states to license the generation, transmission and distribution of electricity.
Based on the amendment, Nigerians can now participate in the electricity supply business, which was previously the exclusive preserve of the FG, as administered by the stage regulator, the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission.
States are required to create their laws and the state governors must sign those laws.
With the constitution amended, and the National Assembly having passed a law for the electricity sector in line with the amendment, the states will now proceed to establish their laws based on the constitutional amendment.
The 2023 Electricity Act, by virtue, allows anyone to construct, own, or operate an undertaking for generating electricity exceeding one megawatt in aggregate at a site.
Also, organised labour, comprising the Nigerian Labour Congress and Trade Union Congress, has asked the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory to work out modalities to break the monopoly of the power distribution companies (also known as Discos) in the country.
According to the labour unions, the discos, as currently constituted, are enjoying a monopoly in power distribution, making them ‘behave in ways that are untoward’ towards their customers.
The Deputy President of the TUC, Dr Tommy Etim, speaking with Sunday PUNCH, said the issue of estimated billing was killing the populace, stressing the need for all homes in the country to have metres.
He also noted that the new Electricity Act had made things easier for the country, as states could now own and run their own discos.
He said, “Labour also takes the position that every household should be metered. So that whatever anyone is paying will be known rather than estimated billing. Organised Labour frowns at the increase in tariff.
“Again, the continuous refusal to meter homes, even for those who have already paid for it for more than a year or more is unfair. We are not happy about it.
“We call on the Federal Government to ensure that those things are put in place, and states should begin to invest in power infrastructure in line with the new law signed by the former president, Muhammadu Buhari.”
NGF’s defence
Speaking with Sunday PUNCH on what the governors are doing, the Director General of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum, Asishana Okauru, said governors were determined to tackle the problem of poor power supply in Nigeria by taking advantage of the power they now had with the Electricity Act (2023).
He said, “States are taking advantage of the new law on power.”
He noted that the NGF had taken a ‘leading and coordinating role’ in seeing to the implementation of the Electricity Act at the sub-national level.
“We have assisted the states as they grapple with the reality of establishing their electricity markets.
“To achieve this, we have set up a dedicated power desk at the NGF Secretariat, engaged consultants, facilitated the constitution of a Forum of Commissioners of Power in the 36 states, and engaged with stakeholders, local and international.
“Additionally, we have enlisted the support of donors who have shown a remarkable interest in working with the states through the NGF secretariat. There is still a lot of work to be done. However, we are on the right track.”
Last Monday, the Federal Government said it had commenced the restructuring of the 11 discos in the country.
The Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, disclosed this while speaking during a visit of the Senate Committee on Power to the Ministry of Power and the Transmission Company of Nigeria in Abuja on Monday.
The government also ordered the sale of DisCos that had been taken over by banks and the Assets Management Corporation.
Five distribution companies are currently under the management of banks and AMCON due to their inability to repay their loans to financial institutions.
Five distribution companies are currently under the management of banks and AMCON due to their inability to repay their loans to financial institutions.
The Abuja DisCo is under the management of the United Bank of Africa, while Fidelity Bank manages the Benin DisCo, Kaduna DisCo and Kano DisCo.
The Ibadan DisCo is under the AMCON management.
Addressing the Senate Committee on Power on Monday, Adelabu said, “We are unbundling the DisCos along state lines.
“Some of the DisCos are too big for efficiency. They are too big for effectiveness. Ibadan DisCo covers seven states. It is practically impossible for them to be efficient.
“So, we are rearranging and restructuring the DisCos along state lines, so that each state government will know the responsible DisCo for their states. Also, the federal and state governments should start exercising their rights in the operation and management of the DisCos, because we still own 40 per cent of the firms.
“But, we have left it for the private sector operators for too long, and they have messed it up. The government must return to take over its rights in the DisCos. We are also planning to franchise the un-served communities under the DisCos,” Adelabu said.
He said the decisions on the DisCos had become necessary because the Nigerian Electricity Supply industry fails when they refuse to perform.
He added that the ministry would prevail on the Nigerian Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission to revoke underperforming licences, and change the management board of the DisCos for non-performance.
“We will start seeing regulations about franchising. The fact that you are an Eko DisCo, for example, doesn’t mean that you cannot have smaller DisCos that are ready to invest in your un-served communities. So, we are looking at franchising.
“We are transforming the DisCos, and very soon, you’ll see that many tough decisions will be taken against these DisCos, because they are the last mile in the sector. If they don’t perform, then the entire industry is not performing,” he said.
Adelabu had said in December 2023 that the country got about 40,000 megawatts of electricity from generators powered by Premium Motor Spirit, popularly called petrol, and those run by Automotive Gas Oil, also known as diesel.
He disclosed this at the ministerial summit on the Integrated National Electricity Policy and Strategic Implementation Plan, while examining the key challenges to Nigeria’s electricity reliability through the prism of governance, adherence to rules/contracts, and finance.
Nigeria’s power generation and supply from its national grid revolves between 3,500MW and 4,500MW for an estimated population of 200 million people.
Independent petroleum marketers on Monday pushed for the restoration of importation rights and projected that the pump price of Premium Motor Spirit, popularly called petrol, could fall below N800 per litre as the Federal Government intensified efforts to force down the cost of petrol.
The development came as the Federal Government met with major operators in the downstream petroleum sector, including representatives of the Dangote Petroleum Refinery, over what it described as the disconnect between falling global crude oil prices and the relatively high pump prices of petrol in the domestic market.
The stakeholders’ meeting on cost-reflective pricing of PMS, held at the headquarters of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority in Abuja, brought together the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission, the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria, the Major Energy Marketers Association of Nigeria, the Depot and Petroleum Products Retailers Association of Nigeria, the Depot and Petroleum Products Marketers Association of Nigeria, the Nigerian Association of Road Transport Owners, and other major operators in the sector.
Also in attendance were chief executives and representatives of TotalEnergies, Eterna Plc, Matrix Energy Group, officials of the NMDPRA, and delegates from the Dangote refinery.
Petrol prices have remained a major source of hardship for households and businesses in Nigeria, with pump prices surging following the spike in global crude oil prices triggered by tensions in the Middle East, particularly between Iran and the United States.
Although crude prices have moderated after diplomatic efforts eased the tensions, the reduction has yet to be fully reflected in domestic petrol prices, prompting the Federal Government to convene a stakeholders’ meeting aimed at driving a fair reduction in pump prices.
The National President of the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria, Abubakar Maigandi, urged the government to permit independent marketers to import petroleum products directly, saying greater competition would ultimately reduce prices.
Maigandi also called for support for local refineries, particularly the Dangote Petroleum Refinery, while stressing the need to allow marketers to import products whenever necessary.
“Our major concern is that if products are to be distributed, let IPMAN buy products directly from the Dangote refinery and then, if we request importation, let IPMAN import by themselves. What we are trying to encourage is our local refinery. Let the government allow the local refinery to function properly and assist those who intend to refine products too,” he said.
The IPMAN president assured Nigerians that independent marketers were prepared to slash petrol prices significantly and projected that pump prices could fall below N800 per litre under the right market conditions.
“The price of the product is coming down bit by bit. Even when the price was increased, it was not increased at the same time. Likewise, now, as the price is coming down, we too are bringing the price down. If you check prices all over the country, you will see that independent petroleum marketers are reducing their prices gradually. Presently, we have reduced by N125 per litre nationwide,” he stated.
Miagandi added, “At any time when there is a reduction in price, we are ready to reduce the price to even below N800 per litre, not even N900. It depends on the way we buy the product from the private depot owners and the Dangote refinery.
“I thank God that the Dangote refinery has accepted independent petroleum marketers to start purchasing products directly. It is a plus, and very soon the populace will see the change in terms of price.”
The renewed push for importation comes amid an intense pricing battle in the downstream sector following the commencement of large-scale production at the Dangote refinery and the deregulation of the petrol market.
Speaking to journalists after a closed-door session with the stakeholders, the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Oil), Senator Heineken Lokpobiri, said the government remained concerned that current petrol prices were not reflective of prevailing crude oil prices in the international market.
According to him, the government had engaged marketers in frank discussions aimed at ensuring that the reduction in global crude prices translates into lower pump prices for Nigerians.
Lokpobiri said, “The engagements are ongoing. We had very fruitful and frank discussions with the marketers and the leaders of the downstream sector of the petroleum industry with a view to driving down the price of PMS.
“My own opinion is that the petrol prices are not cost-reflective; they are not reflective of the cost of crude oil. But the marketers are also saying that crude oil prices are still high.
“In fact, somebody told us right there that the crude oil price for a month is still over $90 per barrel. But we are saying that when Brent crude was over $118 per barrel, the price was rapidly going up. Now that the price has come down drastically, why has petrol not come down correspondingly? That is a worry.”
The minister said the government had communicated the concerns of consumers to operators and directed them to return with practical measures that would lead to lower petrol prices.
“We have said that these are the issues of concern to the government. They have also said they will go back and think about what they can put together with a view to addressing the issue of the high cost of PMS that is not reflective of the price of crude in the market.
“We told them the concern of the Nigerian consumer, and they have also said they will go back and think of what concrete steps can be taken with a view to ensuring that the price drops,” he stated.
On when Nigerians should expect a reduction in petrol prices, Lokpobiri said discussions were still ongoing and declined to give a deadline. “As we called you today, we will call you as soon as possible. But the important thing is that discussions are ongoing,” he added.
Before the closed-door meeting, Lokpobiri warned petroleum marketers against using profits from previously acquired expensive fuel inventories as justification for maintaining high petrol prices, insisting that the benefits of lower replacement costs must be passed on to consumers.
The government said the continued disconnect between falling international crude oil prices and domestic petrol prices had become a source of concern, warning petroleum marketers against sustaining high pump prices of Premium Motor Spirit despite declining global crude prices and insisting that Nigerians should enjoy the benefits of lower replacement costs in a deregulated market.
The Dangote Petroleum Refinery exported about 466,000 metric tonnes of jet fuel to Europe in June, valued at an estimated ₦757 billion, surpassing shipments from the United States and becoming Europe’s largest supplier during the month.
According to an S&P Global Commodity Insights market report, Nigeria’s jet fuel exports to Europe rose sharply from 232,000 metric tonnes in May to 466,000 metric tonnes in June—the highest monthly volume since the country became a net exporter of aviation fuel in 2024 following the commencement of production at the Dangote refinery.
The June shipment is equivalent to about 582.5 million litres of aviation fuel. At an estimated domestic value of ₦1,300 per litre, the exports are worth approximately ₦757.25 billion.
In contrast, US jet fuel exports to Europe declined significantly, dropping from a record 818,000 metric tonnes in April to 560,000 metric tonnes in May, before falling further to 399,000 metric tonnes in June, leaving Nigeria as the continent’s biggest supplier during the period.
A trader attributed the oversupply in the European market to increased shipments from both Dangote and the US.
“Jet fuel is oversupplied because of high local refinery production. Refineries delayed maintenance to benefit from high prices. The US and Dangote also shipped large volumes. Some flows are also resuming through the Suez Canal from the UAE,” the trader said.
The report noted that the European jet fuel market turned increasingly bearish after prices retreated sharply from the highs recorded during the recent Middle East conflict.
According to Platts, part of S&P Global Commodity Insights, the Northwest Europe jet CIF cargo assessment for July fell to $981.75 per metric tonne on June 30, down from a record $1,694.25 per metric tonne recorded on March 30. The August contract also declined from $1,507.50 to $968.25 per metric tonne over the same period.
Analysts said Europe could receive even more jet fuel supplies in the coming months as the East-West arbitrage remains favourable, encouraging exporters in the Middle East and India to ship cargoes westward.
Although no jet fuel shipments arrived from the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait in June, exports from Saudi Arabia increased to about 106,000 metric tonnes, up from 7,000 metric tonnes in May. Exports from India also rose from 129,000 metric tonnes to 197,000 metric tonnes.
Despite the current oversupply, traders told Platts that market conditions would largely depend on developments in the Strait of Hormuz, the recovery of Middle Eastern refineries affected by recent conflicts, stronger summer travel demand, and refiners’ decisions to prioritise diesel production over jet fuel.
Meanwhile, data from the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) showed that the Dangote refinery exported about 1.66 billion litres of refined petroleum products in April 2026.
The exports included 513 million litres of petrol, 534 million litres of diesel, and 615 million litres of aviation fuel, highlighting the refinery’s growing role in supplying both domestic and international markets.
Dangote Refinery remains Nigeria’s only major refinery currently producing refined petroleum products at volumes sufficient for local consumption and export. Rising output has also made Nigeria a net exporter of petrol for the first time in decades, reinforcing the country’s emergence as a major refining and petroleum export hub in Africa.
Findings by our correspondent showed that some filling stations now sell petrol below N860 per litre, while Dangote partners, such as MRS, Heyden, and others, sell at N865 or N875 in Lagos and Ogun States.
A filling station named SGR in Ogun State reduced its price to N847 per litre as of Tuesday. Marketers confirmed to The PUNCH that most importers have reduced their ex-depot petrol prices below that of the Dangote refinery.
As of Tuesday, it was learnt that Dangote refinery was selling petrol at N820 per litre while some depots sold the product at N815 per litre. According to Petroleumprice.ng, Aiteo, Menj and others put their prices at N815/litre as of Tuesday.
Our correspondent learnt that the importers were making efforts to remain in business through competitive pricing. Many had previously complained of recording losses when the 650,000-barrels-per-day capacity Dangote refinery began implementing constant price cuts earlier this year.
The National Publicity Secretary of the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria, Chinedu Ukadike, confirmed the ongoing downward price review by the importers.
“Depot owners are dropping their petrol prices. Some of them are selling N815, some are selling N817, while Dangote is selling N820. NNPC is still selling at N825; it has not dropped its prices yet,” Ukadike disclosed.
He described this as the beauty of market liberalisation, saying President Bola Tinubu should not heed calls to ban fuel importation.
“This is the beauty of the liberalisation of the market. That is why we opined that the President should not ban anybody from importing petroleum products. Nobody should be stopped from bringing in petroleum products. That is the beauty of opening up the market. Implementation and local refining will checkmate unfair pricing. As an indigenous country, you must refine to ensure that you have the best price,” Ukadike said.
On claims that toxic and substandard fuels are being imported into the country, the IPMAN spokesman said the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority is in place to check substandard fuels.
To remain viable, he urged governments across Africa to take deliberate steps as the United States, Canada, and the European Union have done to protect domestic producers from what he called unfair competition.
Dangote did not mince words when he said that the Nigeria First policy announced by Tinubu should apply to the petroleum products sector. “The Nigeria First policy announced by His Excellency, President Bola Tinubu, should apply to the petroleum product sector and all other sectors,” he stated.
This request by Dangote seeks to place a ban on the importation of petrol, diesel, and other products being produced locally. He argued that local refiners were finding it difficult to sell their products because of what he called dumping. The billionaire businessman alleged that importers were dumping toxic fuel that would never be allowed in Europe.
“And to make matters worse, we are now facing increased dumping of cheap, often toxic petroleum products, some of which are blended to substandard levels that would never be allowed in Europe or North America,” he said.
Dangote mentioned that some importers bring subsidised fuel or crude oil from Russia into Nigeria. This, he said, affects local pricing, forcing refiners to lower their prices below production cost.
“Due to the price caps on the Russian petroleum products, discounted petroleum products produced in Russia or with discounted Russian crude find their way to Africa, severely undercutting our local production, which is based on full crude pricing. This has created an unlevel playing field in most African countries. Petrol and diesel are sold for about a dollar net of taxes.
“In Nigeria, due to this unfair competition, this price is just about 60 cents, even cheaper than Saudi Arabia, which produces and refines its own oil. This is due to the fact that we are having too much dumping. To remain viable, we urge the governments across Africa to take deliberate steps as the United States, Canada, and the European Union have done to protect domestic producers from unfair competition,” he stated at a recent event organised by the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority in Abuja.
However, marketers disagreed with Dangote, urging the Federal Government not to consider adding petroleum products to the list of items banned from importation under the ‘Nigeria First’ policy.
… Govt set to develop tourist sites
… Work starts on Nnamdi Azikiwe Stadium, Awgu Games Village in earnest
The Enugu Air, CNG Mass Transit Programme, and the ultramodern transport terminals all built from scratch by the Governor Peter Administration are to be launched for operation before the second anniversary of the government.
The government has also approved the development of the state’s tourism industry, while total transformation of the Nnamdi Azikiwe Stadium and Awgu Games Village will start in June to get them ready for the National Sports Festival to be hosted by the state in 2026.
These were made known by the Commissioner for Transportation, Dr. Obi Ozor; Commissioner for Culture and Tourism, Dame Ugochi Madueke; Commissioner for Works and Infrastructure, Engr. Gerald Otiji; and Commissioner for Youth and Sports Development, Barr. Lloyd Ekweremadu after the State Executive Council meeting at the Government House, Enugu, at the weekend.
Briefing Government House Correspondents, Ozor said, “We are starting off with the initial three aircraft and two of the aircraft are already on ground. The third one will be on ground by the end of this month. We are hoping to start the commercial operations before the second year anniversary of this administration.
“You have also seen buses for the mass transit programme across the state. 50 of them are already parked at Okpara Square, and an additional 50 will be joining that fleet in the next few weeks. The 100 of them will be going into commercial operations before the end of this month, which is the second year anniversary.
“Also, the bus terminals, two at Holy Ghost, one each at Gariki, Abakpa and Nsukka, will also be commissioned and go into commercial operations before the 29th of May, this year.”
He added that the government planned to bring in the electric and CNG automotive manufacturing plant into Enugu as well as launch in the next 150 days the Enugu Smart Transport Programme, which would see to the injection of over 2,000 electric vehicles.
Also briefing newsmen, Dame Madueke said funds would be invested in the tourism industry in phases.
“We are going to have it in phases. For the first phase, we are having Awhum Waterfall, Nsude Pyramid where we are going to have the first canopy walkway in the South East. It measures about 600 metres, which will actually be the longest in Nigeria.
“We also have Ngwo Pine Forest where we are having the first zipline in Nigeria. The zipline will measure about 300 metres. In the same Ngwo, we will have a big rotunda and a smaller rotunda. We have the Cross of Hope to be located at Okpatu. The Cross of Hope will be sitting 580 metres above sea level and the cross itself will measure about 50 metres, making it a total of about 630 metres above sea level. The cross will have about 15 floors with a lift.
“At Awhum Waterfalls, we are going to have another canopy walkway and a boardwalk to preserve the ecosystem.
“We equally have the Akwuke/Atakkwu Waterpark and Ovu Lake Golf and Resort at Akpawfu,” she stated.
She explained that all the tourist sites would have experience centres, food courts and renewable energy, adding that tour buses would soon arrive to ensure ease of movement of tourists.
Ahead of the 23rd edition of the National Sports Festival, Enugu 2026, Barr. Ekweremadu said the State Executive Council had equally directed the commencement of work both at the Nnamdi Azikiwe Stadium and Awgu Games Village not later than June.
“We also briefed the council on the progress made in establishing a Lab for Animation for young people in Enugu State, which His Excellency will be commissioning soon. The lab is ready.
“We are similarly working towards empowering over 2,100 young people across the state, who were trained around December last year. This empowerment will be coming up on the 12th of August, being the International Youth Day’” Ekweremadu concluded.
By Sabastine Gabriel
The Enugu State House of Assembly has taken steps to address the issue of dropped calls and customer dissatisfaction with telecom operators in the state.
During a plenary session on Tuesday, member representing Igbo-Eze South Constituency, Hon. Harrison Ogara raised concerns over the impact of poor telecom services, which he believes are financially harming consumers who pay for unreliable services.
Ogara highlighted that with over 219 million Nigerians subscribing to telecom services, the residents of Enugu State have been particularly affected by the erratic performance of these providers, leading to significant financial losses.
He proposed that the telecom operators, MTN, Globacom, Airtel, and 9 Mobile be summoned to provide explanations on how they plan to reimburse customers affected by dropped calls.
In addition to refunds, Ogara requested that the telecom companies present accurate subscriber data and evidence of their tax compliance with the Enugu State Government.
He urged the establishment of a committee that includes state officials to investigate the financial losses incurred by residents due to telecom inefficiencies, making the findings public and ensuring that refunds are issued where due.
“Mr. Speaker, distinguished colleagues, I rise draw your attention to the current epileptic services of the telecoms services providers in Enugu State which has resulted to huge loss of funds by our citizens. Not minding being a late entrant in the global system for mobile (GSM) market, Nigeria has obviously out paced many countries across when we take into consideration the market size and telephone usage.
“It is quite absurd and preposterous that even with the rapid growth of the sector and it’s consequential growth in consumer size, users of telecom services in Enugu State have continued to groan under the scorching pressure of abysmal performance in services,” he lamented.
Other assembly members echoed Ogara’s motion, expressing frustration over the operators’ poor service and high tariffs, comparing the situation to problematic billing practices seen in other utility sectors.
The member representing Nsukka West, Hon. Malachy Onyechi likened the telecome operators to EEDC that give consumers exorbitant estimated billing without rendering commensurate services.
On his part, while supporting the motion, Hon. Clifford One, representing Igbo-Eze North 2, said that the activities of telecom operators are like the banking services where one is debited yet transaction does not go through.
Earlier the House of Assembly passed into law the Enugu State Land Use Charge Second Amendment, House Bill 6, 2025 presented by Hon. Iloabuchi Aniagu, member representing Nkanu West Constituency into law.
To give room for accelerated passage of the bill, the Enugu State House of Assembly suspended Order 14, Rule 102 sub section 1 of the House Standing Order.
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