Tinubu’s Power Sector Strategy Faces Fresh Scrutiny As Atiku Drops Another Bombshell

• Atiku Abubakar claims the Tinubu administration has finally embraced a decentralised electricity generation policy he first proposed more than 21 years ago, describing the shift as a delayed acknowledgement of a blueprint that could have transformed Nigeria’s power sector.

• The former Vice President faults the Federal Government for increasing electricity tariffs before implementing structural reforms, arguing that businesses and households are paying more despite continued poor and unreliable power supply.

• Atiku discloses that he declined to chair the Obasanjo-era Power Sector Reform Committee because he opposed its gas-centred electricity strategy, insisting he has consistently advocated a diversified energy mix powered by hydro, gas, solar and other viable sources.

• The ADC presidential candidate says an administration under his leadership would prioritise decentralised electricity generation, strengthen transmission and distribution infrastructure, encourage private investment and guarantee stable, affordable electricity to power Nigeria’s industrial growth.

July 26, () — Former Vice President and presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Atiku Abubakar, has intensified pressure on President Bola Tinubu’s administration over its handling of Nigeria’s electricity sector, alleging that the Federal Government has only now embraced a decentralised power generation strategy he first proposed more than two decades ago after nearly three years of what he described as policy failures.

In a statement issued on Sunday by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, Atiku argued that recent comments by the Minister of Power acknowledging that Nigeria could no longer rely solely on large, centralised power plants amounted to a tacit admission that the administration had finally accepted a policy direction he had consistently advocated since serving as Vice President between 1999 and 2007.

The latest intervention marks another chapter in Atiku’s sustained offensive against the Tinubu administration, coming days after he questioned the government’s borrowing profile, management of oil revenues and broader economic reforms.

“It should not take a government three years in office to discover what was obvious more than two decades ago”, Atiku said.

According to him, rather than embarking on fundamental reforms immediately after assuming office, the Tinubu administration chose to increase electricity tariffs while millions of Nigerians continued to endure poor power supply.

“A government that thinks before it acts would have fixed the system before asking citizens to pay more. Unfortunately, this administration has done the exact opposite—raising tariffs first and only now beginning to think about the reforms required to justify those increases”, he stated.

Claims Government Adopted Long-Held Position

Atiku maintained that he had consistently argued for a diversified and decentralised electricity generation model capable of exploiting Nigeria’s abundant hydroelectric, solar, natural gas and other renewable energy resources instead of depending predominantly on large, centralised generation plants.

He said the policy had remained a cornerstone of his public engagements and presidential campaigns for nearly two decades.

According to him, he restated the proposal during an interview on ARISE News in 2022 and repeatedly canvassed the same approach during his presidential campaigns between 2007 and 2023.

“For more than two decades, I have consistently argued that Nigeria’s overdependence on a centralised generation system was economically unsustainable and technically inefficient. Today, the Tinubu administration is merely acknowledging what I proposed years ago”, he said.

Reveals Why He Rejected Obasanjo Committee

The former vice president also offered fresh insight into disagreements within the administration of former President Olusegun Obasanjo over electricity reforms.

Atiku disclosed that although he was appointed Chairman of the Power Sector Reform Committee established by Obasanjo, he declined to preside over the committee because he fundamentally disagreed with its reliance on gas-fired electricity generation.

“This has been my position for over two decades. When President Obasanjo established the Power Sector Reform Committee based primarily on gas-fired generation, I was appointed Chairman. However, because I fundamentally disagreed with the policy direction, I declined to preside over the committee. I believed then, as I do now, that Nigeria’s electricity future lay in a diversified and decentralised energy mix—not an overdependence on a single source”, he stated.

According to Atiku, billions of dollars jointly contributed by the Federal Government, state governments and local governments were eventually invested in the gas-driven strategy without producing the anticipated improvements in electricity supply.

He alleged that contracts were awarded, substantial sums paid in advance and much of the promised work remained uncompleted.

The former vice president further claimed that although the National Assembly later investigated the implementation of the power sector reforms and held the Obasanjo administration accountable, he was never invited because he had declined to chair the committee.

“My position has remained consistent: Nigeria must diversify its sources of electricity generation if we are to achieve stable, affordable and sustainable power”, he added.

Blames Tinubu for Deepening Electricity Crisis

Atiku accused the Tinubu administration of spending nearly three years “experimenting with the livelihoods of Nigerians” instead of implementing coherent and well-planned reforms.

He argued that the consequence had been rising electricity tariffs, worsening hardship for households, struggling manufacturers and businesses battling high production costs amid unreliable electricity supply.

According to him, affordable and dependable electricity remains the foundation for industrialisation, employment generation, economic expansion and national competitiveness.

“The greatest tragedy is not that this government has finally embraced the right idea. The tragedy is that it took three years of policy drift, higher tariffs and prolonged darkness to discover what could have transformed Nigeria’s power sector more than two decades ago”, he said.

ADC Promises Alternative Electricity Agenda

Looking ahead, Atiku said an ADC administration under his leadership would implement a diversified electricity generation strategy built around hydroelectricity, natural gas, solar power and other viable energy sources.

He also pledged to modernise and expand Nigeria’s transmission infrastructure, strengthen electricity distribution networks and encourage greater private sector investment to deliver stable and affordable power across the country.

“Nigeria does not suffer from a shortage of ideas. It suffers from a shortage of leaders willing to act on the right ideas at the right time. It is never too late to embrace the right policy, but Nigerians should never have had to pay the price for a government that spent three years learning what should have guided its actions from day one”, he concluded.

Background

Since the formation of the opposition coalition under the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Atiku has emerged as one of President Tinubu’s most vocal critics, issuing a series of statements challenging the administration’s policies on electricity, fuel subsidy removal, public debt, oil revenues, insecurity and economic management.

His latest remarks also come as the Federal Government signals a shift towards decentralised electricity generation following the implementation of the Electricity Act, which allows states to play greater roles in electricity generation, transmission and distribution.

While the Minister of Power recently indicated that Nigeria must move beyond reliance on large, centralised power stations, Atiku insists the policy represents a delayed endorsement of reforms he advocated over two decades ago.

As of the time of filing this report, neither the Presidency nor the Federal Ministry of Power had issued an official response to the former vice president’s latest allegations.