Senate advances bill to safeguard Nigeria’s power sector, proposes stiff penalties for vandals

July 10, 2025

By Ayinde Adeleke

The Nigerian Senate has taken a significant step towards rescuing the country’s beleaguered electricity sector by passing the Electricity Act (Amendment) Bill, 2025, through second reading.

The bill, sponsored by Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Power, aims to address the growing menace of electricity infrastructure vandalism and other challenges plaguing the sector.

Senator Abaribe highlighted the primary objective of the bill, stating that it seeks to introduce provisions that will enhance policy and regulatory coordination between national and sub-national governments to avoid legal disputes and inconsistencies.

The bill also proposes to strengthen sectoral financing, criminalize critical electricity infrastructure vandalism, and foster industrial relations in the sector.

The Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, emphasized the importance of electricity in driving industrial growth, noting that “without electricity, there would be no way for industrial growth in the country.”

He added that senators are committed to making sacrifices for the future, saying, “People think we are here in the Senate to make money, not knowing we are here to sacrifice for future generations.”

Other key provisions of the bill include clarifying ongoing transitional provisions for the transfer of intrastate electricity matters from the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) to state governments and redefining host community engagements by licensees operating in the Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry (NESI).

Senator Adamu Aliero supported the bill, advocating for capital punishment for vandals, while Senator Abdulfatai Buhari emphasized the need for serious punitive measures to deter vandalism.

The bill has been referred to the Senate Committee on Power for further review and is expected to report back within six weeks ¹ ².

The proposed legislation aims to rescue the Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry (NESI) from imminent collapse, addressing issues such as crippling debt crisis, operational inefficiencies, and sectoral financing constraints.

As Senator Abaribe noted, “With pervasive operational constraints across the power value chain and crippling debt crisis running into trillions of Naira, the Nigerian power sector is hanging on a cliff and requires immediate and drastic action”