Expert Seeks Tinubu’s Intervention In NERC Crisis
The Executive Director of PowerUp Nigeria, a leading power sector advocacy group, Mr. Adetayo Adegbemle, has urged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to urgently intervene in the unfolding leadership crisis at the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC).
He warned that the controversy threatens to derail the country’s fragile power reforms and scare away investors.
Adegbemle’s plea comes amid growing alarm within the Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry (NESI) following the controversial installation of Engineer Abdullahi Ramat as NERC Chairman on August 8, 2025.
There were reports that Ramat, 39, reportedly arrived at the commission’s Abuja headquarters with political supporters and security personnel, amid funfairs.
However, Adegbemle, in a statement he sent to THE WHISTLER in Abuja on Thursday, asked the president to reaffirm the sanctity of due process and protect NERC’s institutional integrity.
“The President must act swiftly and decisively to reaffirm the sanctity of due process and protect NERC’s institutional integrity. Without this, investor confidence will collapse, and Nigeria risks setting the power sector back by years,” Adegbemle warned.
He also urged Tinubu to publicly restate that Ramat remains a nominee until Senate approval, and called on the Senate to expedite confirmation hearings when lawmakers reconvene in late September.
“First, President Tinubu must publicly and unequivocally reaffirm that Ramat remains only a nominee until Senate confirmation, distancing the administration from this constitutional overreach.
“Second, the Senate must expedite Ramat’s confirmation hearing upon its return on September 23, subjecting his competence and commitment to NERC’s statutory independence to rigorous scrutiny.
“The resolution of this impasse will either catalyse long-overdue reform or entrench decay, Adegbemle cautioned. NERC is a regulator, not a battleground. Nigeria’s economic future depends on restoring credibility to its power institutions,” he said.
Expert Seeks Tinubu’s Intervention In NERC Crisis is first published on The Whistler Newspaper
