FG to fast-track electricity reforms

Tuesday, November 11, 2025 - President Bola Tinubu, on Monday in Abuja, assured Siemens Energy, the technical contractor on the Presidential Power Initiative, of his administration’s commitment to improving electricity supply and lifting livelihoods for Nigerians.

Tinubu said this at a meeting with a delegation from Siemens led by its Managing Director, Middle East and Africa, Dietmar Siersdorfer, at the State House, Abuja.

Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, revealed details of the meeting in a statement titled “We’re taking power very seriously to enhance the livelihoods of Nigerians, President Tinubu tells Siemens.’

The President said the power sector remains central to stimulating the economy, particularly in industry, education and healthcare.

“There is no industrial growth or economic development without power. I believe that power is the most significant discovery of humanity in the last 1,000 years,” he said.

While appreciating Siemens’s partnership on the initiative and the progress made so far, Tinubu said there are still grounds to cover.

He noted, “I appreciate the partnership on the initiative. The progress of the project to date is notable, and we can feel it.

“But it is not where we want it to be. We appreciate the support and commitment of the German government and Siemens.

“The investment you are making and your commitment align with the future of this country. Our education, our health care and our transportation all depend on energy and without power, it is an impossible objective. We are taking it very seriously.”

The President said completing the phased project will give Nigeria “a place of pride on the continent” by unlocking latent human and material potential across multiple sectors.

He directed the expansion of some major transformer substations from two to three phases to boost the national power supply.

“We are all inspired and happy. This is what we want to achieve on the continent. We want everyone to see the glory of our economic recovery and banishment of poverty,” he said, adding that the government will continue to provide the needed resources for the power project.

Vice-President Kashim Shettima attended the meeting alongside the Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Wale Edun; the Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu; and the Special Adviser on Energy, Olu Verheijen.

Providing an update, Adelabu said the sector had achieved “many critical milestones, including the decentralization and liberalization of the sector.”

Adelabu noted that the President signed the Electricity Act 2023 and that a National Integrated Electricity Policy was developed after 24 years, “attracting more than $2bn of fresh investments.”

He added that the policy had activated fifteen state electricity markets.

Adelabu said, “Since the signing of the Accelerated Agreement at COP28 in Dubai in December 2023, an event you personally attended alongside the German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, the PPI has recorded notable milestones across its implementation phases.

“Under the Pilot phase (Phase Zero), we have achieved significant infrastructure upgrades and capacity enhancements that are already impacting grid stability and reliability across the country.

“Siemens Energy has successfully delivered and commissioned 10 units of 132/33kV mobile substations, three units of 75/100MVA transformers, and seven units of 60/66MVA transformers across key load centres nationwide, which have added 984mv of transmission capacity to the grid.”

Adelabu also recalled that, in December 2024, the Federal Executive Council approved the commencement of the Engineering, Procurement, and Construction contract for Phase One, Batch One of the PPI.

The scope, he said, encompasses the upgrade, installation and commissioning of five key substations in Abeokuta, Offa, Ayede-Ibadan, Sokoto and Onitsha.

“I am pleased to report that plans for civil works mobilization across all five locations have been finalised, concurrent manufacturing of the required equipment is ongoing, and two of the five substations are targeted for completion by the end of 2026.

“As we consolidate the gains from the Pilot Phase and Phase One–First Batch, we are also preparing to advance to Phase One–Batch two, which has a scope for the construction of new substations and the upgrade of existing ones across key load centres nationwide.

“Collectively, Phase One–Batch Two of the PPI comprises a total of six Brownfield and 10 Greenfield substations with a cumulative impact of 4,104MW,” Adelabu explained.

On his part, Edun said completion of the PPI will enhance Nigeria’s ease of doing business, create more jobs for the youth and reduce poverty.

Siersdorfer said two out of the five substations under construction are expected to be completed by December 2026.

He noted that a training centre is already under construction “to ensure the training of local talents in electrical engineering, create more jobs, capture local content, and transfer technology.”

The Siemens Chief stated, “The PPI is not just a project but a platform for long-term development and prosperity.”

He added that the initiative will transform Nigeria into a regional power hub and that “Nigerian professionals will be engaged directly in the five project sites in Batch 1 for the site works, while thousands of jobs will be enabled in the local communities through purchased services, accommodation, and transportation, among others.”

Nigeria entered a government-to-government framework with Siemens in July 2019 under the Nigeria Electrification Roadmap, later christened the Presidential Power Initiative.

According to the Muhammadu Buhari administration, the goal is to modernise and expand the grid in three phases, targeting 7,000MW, then 11,000MW, and ultimately 25,000MW of operational capacity.

The plan was initiated from discussions during the visit of German Chancellor Angela Merkel in August 2018.

An accelerated implementation agreement was signed on December 1, 2023, during COP28 in Dubai, witnessed by President Tinubu and Chancellor Olaf Scholz, to fast-track delivery and deepen technology transfer.

Since 2024–2025, FGN Power Company and Siemens Energy have reported deliveries and commissioning of mobile substations and large power transformers, alongside Federal Executive Council approval (December 2024) for Phase One, Batch One EPC works covering the substations in Abeokuta, Offa, Ayede-Ibadan, Sokoto and Onitsha.