President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has nominated Joseph Olasunkanmi Tegbe as Minister of Power and appointed Rilwan Babalola as Special Adviser on Power, in a move aimed at accelerating reforms in Nigeria’s electricity sector.
The nomination and appointment were announced in separate statements issued by the President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga.
According to the Presidency, Tegbe’s nomination has been transmitted to the Senate for screening and confirmation. The appointment comes as part of efforts to deepen ongoing reforms, improve grid stability, attract investment, and enhance service delivery in the power sector.
Tegbe, a development economist from Oyo State, brings over three decades of experience spanning public service and private sector consulting. He previously served as Senior Partner and Head of Advisory Services at KPMG Africa, where he led major governance and fiscal reform initiatives across the continent.
He currently serves as Director-General and Global Liaison for the Nigeria-China Strategic Partnership, overseeing bilateral cooperation between both countries. The Presidency noted that he also has relevant experience in the power sector, having worked with institutions such as the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission and the Nigerian Bulk Electricity Trading Company on market and regulatory reforms.
“The President expects the Minister-designate, upon confirmation, to deploy his expertise to advance critical reforms and deliver improved outcomes for Nigerians,” the statement said.
Tegbe’s nomination follows the resignation of former Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, who stepped down to pursue political ambitions.
In a related development, Tinubu appointed Babalola as Special Adviser on Power and Chairman of the Presidential Task Force on Power Sector Reset and Restoration, a high-level body tasked with driving urgent reforms across the electricity value chain.
Babalola, who previously served as Minister of Power, is expected to lead efforts to address longstanding challenges in the sector, with a focus on execution, efficiency, and improved coordination among agencies.
“The President expects Mr Babalola to bring urgency, discipline, and a strong execution focus to this assignment, in line with the Renewed Hope Agenda, to deliver measurable improvements in power supply and sector performance,” the statement said.
The task force will operate under a direct presidential mandate and serve as a central delivery platform to coordinate reforms, improve operational efficiency, and restore commercial viability in the sector.
Its mandate includes implementing a “performance before expansion” framework, reducing technical and commercial losses, strengthening cost discipline and tariff integrity, and improving revenue assurance and liquidity.
The body is also expected to restore grid discipline, enhance market stability, promote productive use of electricity across key sectors, and develop Electricity Growth Zones. It will further work to reduce fiscal exposure and deliver a 90-day implementation blueprint.
As part of broader restructuring within the energy sector, the President also redesignated the Office of the Special Adviser (Energy) as Special Adviser on Oil and Gas to streamline responsibilities and avoid overlaps.
The Presidency said the combined appointments and restructuring are designed to strengthen governance, improve coordination, and fast-track reforms aimed at delivering more reliable power supply to Nigerians.
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