President Tinubu reassigns Verheijen, appoints Lanre Babalola as SA on Power

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has reassigned Ms Olu Verheijen as the Special Adviser on Oil and Gas in a strategic move to restructure the energy sector.

This is as the President also appointed Mr. Rilwan Lanre Babalola, a former Minister of Power, as the Special Adviser to the President on Power.

To ensure clarity of roles and eliminate functional duplication, the President redesignated the Office of the Special Adviser on Energy to now function specifically as the Office of the Special Adviser on Oil and Gas.

This separation allows for a more granular focus on the distinct challenges facing the petroleum and electricity sectors respectively.

Mr. Babalola will take on a dual role, also serving as the Chairman of the newly established Presidential Task Force on Power Sector Reset and Restoration.
This taskforce is designed as a delivery-focused vehicle mandated to restore discipline, efficiency, and commercial viability across the electricity value chain.

The taskforce under Babalola’s leadership will operate under a direct presidential mandate to implement a Performance Before Expansion framework.

Its primary objectives include reducing technical and commercial losses, strengthening tariff integrity, and restoring grid discipline.

The taskforce is also tasked with developing Electricity Growth Zones to promote the productive use of power and is expected to deliver a comprehensive implementation blueprint within 90 days.

President Tinubu emphasized that these changes are rooted in the Renewed Hope Agenda, reflecting a determination to move away from systemic inefficiencies toward a results-driven power sector.

By decoupling the portfolios and bringing in a seasoned expert like Babalola, the administration aims to enhance revenue assurance and reduce fiscal exposure while delivering measurable improvements in power supply to Nigerians.