The Federal Government and the Lagos State Government have set up a joint technical committee to work towards delivering 24-hour electricity to the Lagos corridor under the Federal Government’s 24/7 Energy Zones pilot programme.
The committee was constituted after a meeting between the Minister of Power, Joseph Tegbe, and Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, at the Lagos House, Marina.
The 24/7 Energy Zones programme is expected to begin in Lagos before extending to the Abuja-Kaduna-Kano and Enugu-Port Harcourt corridors.
Tegbe said the Ministry of Power had engaged electricity distribution companies and secured commitments from them to take more power and provide steady and reliable electricity to customers along the Lagos corridor.
He said the Federal Government would work with Lagos State on four priority areas approved by President Bola Tinubu: grid stabilisation, market liquidity, grid expansion, and governance and regulatory harmonisation.
The Minister said the joint technical committee would work on the challenges affecting electricity supply in Lagos and recommend practical steps towards achieving the 24/7 power target.
The committee will be chaired by the Managing Director of the Nigerian Independent System Operator, NISO, while the Permanent Secretary of the Lagos State Ministry of Energy will serve as co-chair.
Its members include representatives of the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission, NERC; Transmission Company of Nigeria, TCN; Rural Electrification Agency, REA; Lagos State Electricity Regulatory Commission, LASERC; Lagos Independent System Operator, LAISO; Lagos State Electricity Agency, LSEA; and the Federal Ministry of Power.
The committee will report to a Steering Committee chaired by Governor Sanwo-Olu and co-chaired by the Minister of Power.
The Steering Committee will also include the Special Adviser to the President on Power, the Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Power and the Lagos State Commissioner for Energy.
In his remarks, the Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu said Lagos State was committed to working with the Federal Government to address the challenges affecting the electricity sector and develop a competitive and bankable electricity market in the state.
The meeting was also attended by the Special Adviser to the President on Power, Dr Lanre Babalola; Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Power, Mahmuda Mamman; Deputy Governor of Lagos State, Kadiri Obafemi Hamzat; Commissioner for Energy, Biodun Ogunleye; and the Managing Directors of TCN, NISO and REA.