Tegbe Unveils Reform Blueprint, Demands Shared Responsibility to Fix Nigeria’s Power Sector

By: Michael Mike

The Minister of Power, Joseph Tegbe, has unveiled a comprehensive action plan aimed at stabilising and transforming Nigeria’s electricity sector, insisting that meaningful reform will only succeed if every stakeholder in the Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry (NESI) accepts collective responsibility for addressing the country’s longstanding power challenges.

Speaking at the second quarterly Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry (NESI) Stakeholders’ Meeting convened by the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) in Abuja, Tegbe outlined a reform agenda centred on transparency, accountability, infrastructure protection and improved market governance.

The meeting, chaired by Dr. Musiliu Oseni, Chairman of NERC, brought together key industry players, including electricity generation companies (GenCos), distribution companies (DisCos), the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN), the Nigerian Independent System Operator (NISO), regulators and policymakers. Also in attendance were the Special Adviser to the President on Power, Rilwan Lanre Babalola, and the Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Power, Mahmuda Mamman.

Delivering the keynote address, the minister stressed that Nigeria’s electricity crisis was a shared challenge requiring collective ownership across the entire power value chain.

“Nigeria’s power crisis was not built by one hand, and it will not be fixed by one hand,” Tegbe declared, urging operators, regulators and government institutions to work collaboratively in delivering sustainable reforms.

A major plank of the minister’s agenda is the protection of electricity infrastructure. He called for power installations across the country to be formally designated as Critical National Assets, warning that vandalism, grid sabotage and electricity theft amount to economic sabotage with direct consequences for millions of Nigerians.

According to him, safeguarding existing infrastructure must go hand in hand with improving operational efficiency. He disclosed that the ministry is already addressing transmission bottlenecks, strengthening spinning reserves and upgrading priority substation protection systems to improve grid stability and reliability.

On electricity metering and tariff reforms, Tegbe said estimated billing had unfairly burdened consumers for years while concealing inefficiencies within the sector. He explained that the ministry is accelerating nationwide metering deployment to eliminate estimated billing and reduce Aggregate Technical, Commercial and Collection (ATC&C) losses.

The minister added that government is also developing a sustainable tariff transition framework that would shield vulnerable consumers from excessive cost increases while providing investors with the confidence and certainty required to commit long-term capital to the sector.

Addressing market governance, Tegbe maintained that tariff reforms could only achieve their objectives if all market participants complied with payment obligations. He called for greater transparency in the calculation of Derived Remittance Obligations (DRO), insisting that confidence in the electricity market depends on openness and credible financial reporting.

“Trust in the market begins with trust in the numbers,” he said.

As part of efforts to deepen accountability, the minister announced plans to publish key performance indicators (KPIs) and performance scorecards for electricity generation and distribution companies, enabling Nigerians to assess the performance of operators across the sector.

He reaffirmed his commitment to three guiding principles—transparency, speed and accountability.

According to him, the Ministry of Power will operate without hidden agendas, remove bureaucratic bottlenecks that delay reforms and ensure that individuals or organisations whose actions undermine the sector are held accountable.

“Reform is not a promise deferred,” Tegbe said. “It is a discipline being executed, every day.”

Tegbe Unveils Reform Blueprint, Demands Shared Responsibility to Fix Nigeria’s Power Sector

NDLEA Takes Custody of 6.8 Tonnes of Canadian Loud Seized at Lagos Port, Vows Crackdown on Drug Syndicates

By:Michael Mike

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has formally taken custody of 6,778.5 kilogrammes (about 6.8 tonnes) of Canadian Loud, a potent strain of cannabis, intercepted at the Apapa Port in Lagos in what authorities describe as one of Nigeria’s biggest anti-narcotics seizures in recent years.

The seizure, made during joint examinations of two shipping containers by operatives of the NDLEA, the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) and other security agencies, is being hailed as a major breakthrough in the fight against transnational drug trafficking and a testament to growing inter-agency and international intelligence cooperation.

Speaking during the formal handover ceremony at Apapa Port on Wednesday, the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Buba Marwa (Rtd), represented by the Director of Seaport Operations, ACGN Ibinabo Archie-Abia, said the operation sends a strong warning to international drug cartels that Nigeria is closing its borders to illicit narcotics.

“Through two major seizures recorded on June 15 and June 24, 2026, we send a clear and unequivocal message that we are more determined than ever to dismantle organised criminal syndicates and drug trafficking networks operating within and beyond our borders,” Marwa declared.

The seizure followed months of intelligence-driven investigations led by the NDLEA’s Special Investigation Unit and Marine Intelligence Unit, working closely with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) and the Nigeria Customs Service.

According to Marwa, the traffickers employed sophisticated maritime routes spanning multiple continents in an attempt to evade law enforcement, but NDLEA operatives successfully tracked the consignments from Canada to Nigeria.

He explained that the first container, CAAU 7569127, departed Toronto on April 16, 2026, travelled by rail to Montreal before being loaded onto the vessel Ghallow Express. It was later trans-shipped at Tangier Med, Morocco, onto Spartel Trader, arriving at Tin Can Island Port before being moved through the Global Bonded Terminal and eventually to Apapa Port, where it was intercepted on June 10 during a joint examination.

The second container, HAMU 3246311, departed Montreal on May 1 aboard Africa Express, was later trans-shipped onto Algeciras Express, arrived at Tin Can Island Port on June 4 and was transferred to Apapa Port on June 22, where NDLEA officers were waiting.

Marwa stressed that the agency’s strategy goes beyond intercepting illicit consignments, warning that investigators would pursue the financiers and beneficiaries behind the trafficking networks.

“We recognise that the staggering profits generated by illicit drug trafficking continue to fuel crimes against humanity and against our nation despite the devastating toll they take on individuals, families and communities.

“Our work does not end with seizure. We are committed to identifying, arresting and prosecuting those responsible, confiscating their criminal assets, and ensuring they derive no benefit whatsoever from their illegal enterprise,” he said.

The NDLEA boss also commended the Nigeria Customs Service and other security agencies for what he described as exemplary professionalism and collaboration.

“I commend, in the strongest terms, the dedication, professionalism and courage of the officers and men of the NDLEA, the Nigeria Customs Service and all sister security agencies who refused to look away and allow these dangerous substances to flood our communities.

“This success was made possible by intelligence-sharing and operational synergy among all participating agencies. It is a powerful demonstration of what inter-agency collaboration, international cooperation and intelligence-driven operations can achieve in the fight against transnational organised crime and illicit drug trafficking,” he added.

The latest seizure represents another significant milestone in the NDLEA’s intensified campaign against drug trafficking under Marwa’s leadership, as the agency continues to strengthen partnerships with international law enforcement organisations and deploy intelligence-led operations to intercept illicit drugs before they enter Nigerian communities.

NDLEA Takes Custody of 6.8 Tonnes of Canadian Loud Seized at Lagos Port, Vows Crackdown on Drug Syndicates

Angwa Rukuba Killings: Court To Rule On Jurisdiction, As Suspects Remain In DSS Custody

By: Zagazola Makama

The Plateau State High Court sitting in Jos, on Wednesday, reserved ruling on a preliminary objection on jurisdiction filed by counsel to some suspects arrested by the Department of State Services (DSS), and standing trial for their roles in the Angwa Rukuba massacre of late March and early April of 2026.

At the resumed trial on Wednesday, the Plateau State Director of Civil Litigation, Sabo Longji, told the court that two of the defendants filed a notice of preliminary objection challenging the the court’s jurisdiction, praying the court to strike out the case against them.

The prosecution, however, told the court presided over by Justice Gedeliah Fwomyon, that it filed a counter-affidavit dated June 29, 2026, which had been served on the defendants.

When the defence counsel, led by M. I. Shaba (SAN), M. I. Salihu and S.M Danlami, drew the court’s attention to the fact that the counter affidavit was filed out of time, the prosecution made a fresh application for extension of time, which the court granted.
The judge adjourned the matter to 2nd July 2026 to hear the motion, while the substantive matter was adjourned to 15th July, 2026.
The defendants are to remain in the custody of the DSS.

On Palm Sunday of 2026, a number of gunmen attacked Angwa Rukuba in Jos North LGA of the state, killing about 30 persons. Days later, the DSS arrested Adamu Isa Alhassan, Isa Umar Ibrahim, Auwalu Abubakar aka Auwalu Dogo, and Musa Abubakar Ibrahim aka Yaroro.

The Plateau State government charged the four suspects alongside one Ado Ibrahim, said to be at large, with criminal conspiracy, culpable homicide, illegal possession of firearms, and illegally dealing in arms and ammunition.

Angwa Rukuba Killings: Court To Rule On Jurisdiction, As Suspects Remain In DSS Custody