Institute Charges Fellows On Power Reforms, Mentorship

The Nigerian Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (NIEEE) has tasked its newly inducted Fellows to take the lead in driving power sector reforms, tackling professional quackery and mentoring the next generation of engineers to address Nigeria’s growing energy challenges.

Speaking at the institute’s 21st Fellowship Conferment Ceremony in Abuja on Saturday, NIEEE president, Felix Adesola Adegboye, said the implementation of the Electricity Act and the evolving digital economy have placed greater responsibilities on experienced engineering professionals.

He described the Fellowship as the institute’s highest professional honour, awarded to members who have distinguished themselves through competence, dedication and ethical conduct.

According to him, the decentralisation of electricity generation, transmission and distribution under the Electricity Act has created opportunities for states to participate actively in power supply, making the role of engineering professionals even more critical.

“The burden of providing localised solutions now rests on our shoulders. It is unacceptable for a country blessed with such expertise to continue battling grid vulnerabilities and technological dependency,” Adegboye said.

He urged the new Fellows to deploy their expertise across key areas, including power and clean energy, information and communication technology (ICT), instrumentation and control, avionics and space technology, electronics and computing, as well as emerging technologies.

The NIEEE president identified energy transition, professional regulation and mentorship as priority areas requiring urgent intervention.

He said Fellows must support governments and private sector operators with practical solutions to accelerate energy transition while helping to eliminate quackery through the provisions of the Chartered Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineering of Nigeria (CIEEEN) Act.

Adegboye also challenged the Fellows to bridge the gap between academic training and industry practice by mentoring young engineers and promoting innovation-driven research.

Earlier, chairman of the NIEEE Board of Fellows, Dr Isaac Adekanye, said the Fellowship award is reserved for professionals who have demonstrated competence, reliability and outstanding contributions to the engineering profession.

Adekanye said recipients underwent rigorous screening before their elevation and urged them to apply their knowledge and experience towards addressing challenges in power supply, telecommunications and emerging technologies.

He described the CIEEEN Act 2022 as a landmark achievement that would strengthen professional standards and promote the growth of electrical and electronic engineering practice in Nigeria.

Meanwhile, legal practitioner and electricity market specialist, Prince Adetunji Adeyeye, blamed Nigeria’s persistent power crisis on policy, regulatory and institutional failures rather than technical limitations.

Delivering a lecture titled “Building a Resilient Power Sector: The Need for Sustainable Regulatory and Policy Reforms in Nigeria’s Electricity Supply Industry,” Adeyeye said the country’s electricity challenges stem largely from poor commercial and regulatory decisions that have persisted for decades.

He noted that Nigeria has more installed generation capacity than it is able to dispatch daily due to transmission constraints and inadequate investment in infrastructure.

“The gap between what we have built and what we actually use is not primarily a technical gap. It is a commercial, regulatory and institutional gap,” he said.

Adeyeye argued that electricity tariffs have remained below cost-recovery levels because governments often treat pricing as a political issue rather than a commercial necessity, creating a cycle that discourages investment and weakens sector performance.

According to him, the 2013 power sector privatisation altered the industry’s legal structure but fell short in critical areas such as tariff predictability, contract enforcement and payment reliability.

He stressed that Nigeria does not require another round of privatisation but the disciplined implementation of existing reforms.

The electricity expert identified technical, commercial, regulatory and institutional resilience as the four pillars required to build a sustainable power sector and attract long-term investment.

He called for a truly independent Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC), strict adherence to tariff methodologies, enforcement of market rules and respect for contractual obligations.

Adeyeye described the Electricity Act 2023 as the most significant legislative framework introduced for the sector, noting that it has opened opportunities for states to establish electricity markets and attract private investment.

He maintained that Nigeria possesses the technical expertise required to build world-class electricity infrastructure but lacks sustained commitment to implementing reforms.

“What is required now is the decision taken collectively by government, regulators, operators, financiers and professionals to implement what has been designed, honour what has been committed, and sustain that commitment through political cycles and commercial pressures,” he said.