Nigeria’s Senate has taken a significant step to overhaul the country’s struggling electricity sector by passing the second reading of the Electricity Act (Amendment) Bill, 2025.
During Wednesday’s plenary session, Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe (APGA–Abia), who sponsored the bill, outlined its key aims: to resolve regulatory conflicts between national and state authorities, strengthen financial support for the sector amid mounting debt, and introduce strict penalties for vandalism targeting power infrastructure.
The bill also seeks to clarify the transition of some electricity responsibilities from the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) to state governments and to modernise labour relations in line with international standards.
Senator Abaribe, who chairs the Senate Committee on Power, highlighted the urgency of reform, describing the power sector as being at risk of collapse due to widespread operational challenges and debts amounting to trillions of naira.
Senator Garba Maidoki (APC–Kebbi) stressed the burden of rising electricity costs, noting: “If lawmakers themselves struggle to pay their power bills, ordinary Nigerians face an even harsher reality.”
Supporting tougher measures, Senator Abdulfatai Buhari (APC–Oyo) argued that current laws are too lenient on those who sabotage power facilities, while Senator Yunus Akintunde (APC–Oyo) blamed outdated transmission networks for undermining supply, adding that public funds should not be spent on transformers for private distribution companies.
Senate President Godswill Akpabio congratulated the committee for its work and emphasised the importance of reliable electricity for the nation’s economic progress. “Everyone is hopeful this legislation will bring the transformation the country desperately needs,” he said.
