Tinubu appoints new special adviser on power

President Tinubu has appointed Lanre Babalola as Special Adviser to the President on Power and Chairman of the Presidential Task Force on Power Sector Reset and Restoration, as part of efforts to address persistent challenges in Nigeria’s electricity sector.

President Bola Tinubu has appointed Lanre Babalola as the Special Adviser to the President on Power and Chairman of the Presidential Task Force on Power Sector Reset and Restoration.

The appointment was announced in a statement issued on Thursday by the presidential spokesperson, Bayo Onanuga.

According to the statement, the president also redesignated the Office of the Special Adviser (Energy) as the Special Adviser (Oil and Gas) to clarify roles and avoid duplication of functions within the energy governance framework.

Mr Babalola, a former Minister of Power, is expected to bring extensive sectoral expertise and a strong understanding of the structural and operational challenges facing Nigeria’s electricity value chain.

The statement said his appointment reflects the president’s determination to pursue a decisive, results-driven reset of the power sector.

The appointment comes at a time when the federal government is grappling with efforts to revive the country’s electricity sector amid persistent power outages, repeated grid collapses, and mounting legacy debt.

The presidency said the Presidential Task Force, to be headed by Mr Babalola, will operate under a direct presidential mandate as a high-level, delivery-focused mechanism aimed at restoring discipline, efficiency, and commercial viability across the sector.

It will also ensure effective coordination among relevant ministries, departments, and agencies.

According to the statement, the task force’s mandate includes driving a comprehensive reset of the electricity sector; implementing a “Performance Before Expansion” framework; reducing technical, commercial, and collection losses; and strengthening cost discipline and tariff integrity.

It will also focus on improving revenue assurance and sector liquidity, restoring grid discipline and market integrity, promoting productive use of power across key sectors, developing Electricity Growth Zones, reducing fiscal exposure, and delivering a 90-day implementation blueprint.

President Tinubu expressed confidence that Mr Babalola would bring urgency, discipline, and strong execution to the assignment in line with the Renewed Hope Agenda, with the goal of delivering measurable improvements in power supply and overall sector performance.