NERC Seeks Judicial Buy‑in For Power Reforms Amid Oversight Transfer to 16 States

The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission has moved to strengthen judges’ understanding of the country’s changing electricity sector in a new era of multi‑level regulation, with a seminar to familiarise the judiciary with the technical and legal complexities arising from the decentralisation of the power sector.

This is as the Commission said it has transfered oversight to 16 states governments.

NERC said on Monday, that it held a regional seminar for judges of the Lagos State High Court to strengthen their understanding of the country’s changing electricity sector.

NERC’s chairman, Dr Musiliu Oseni, said the regulator had transferred electricity market oversight to 16 states, describing the move as ushering “in a new era of multi‑level regulation.”

He said the seminar aimed to make judges familiar with the technical and legal complexities of the power industry.

He added: “The objective is to ensure that My Lords are familiar with the intricacies and technical nature of the power sector. We look forward to engaging with you and sharing deeper insights into an industry that is critical to Nigeria’s economic development.”

Representing the Attorney General of Lagos State and Commissioner for Justice, Lawal Pedro, SAN, the Solicitor‑General, Hameed Oyenuga, praised NERC for organising the seminar. He said the event provided “a valuable platform for judges to engage with stakeholders in the electricity industry,” and said this engagement would help ensure that judicial decisions supported, rather than impeded, the ongoing power sector reforms.

Administrative Judge of the Lagos Judicial Division, Justice Atinuke Ipaye, who represented by the Chief Judge of Lagos State, Justice Kazeem Alogba, urged participants to make full use of the seminar.

She said judges should “engage actively with resource persons and seek a deeper understanding of the evolving electricity landscape.”

NERC said the seminar formed the first in a series of regional engagements designed to build judicial capacity and promote a common understanding of the legal and regulatory framework for Nigeria’s electricity market while it undergoes transition.

The regulator said presentations at the seminar covered core issues judges were likely to face as regulation decentralises. NERC’s commissioner for Legal, Licensing and Compliance, Dafe Akpeneye, delivered a talk titled “Transitioning into a Decentralised Electricity Sector: Legal and Regulatory Perspectives,” NERC said.

The commission added that its vice chairman, Dr Yusuf Ali, spoke on “Tariff Regulation in a Decentralised Electricity Market.”

NERC said the regional outreach was aimed at preventing legal challenges from slowing reform by ensuring that judges understood the technical nature of tariff setting, licensing, and other regulatory processes in the decentralised market.

Dr Oseni said the engagement would help align the judiciary with the regulators and market actors as states assume greater oversight.

He said the move to transfer oversight to 16 states required judges to be prepared for more technically complex disputes involving the electricity industry.

NERC said it would continue the regional seminars across other parts of the country as part of its effort to secure judicial buy‑in for power sector reforms.