Stakeholders in Nigeria’s power sector have called for coordinated actions, stronger accountability and a structured transition towards cleaner energy.

Nigeria privatised its power sector in 2013, unbundling the former state monopoly into generation and distribution companies, while transmission remained under government control.

More than a decade later, however, the sector remains fragile. Average generation continues to hover at levels far below installed capacity; debt across the value chain has ballooned into trillions of naira, while distribution companies face persistent revenue shortfalls.

The metering gap remains wide, with millions of customers still unmetered, fuelling disputes and estimated billing complaints. Repeated national grid collapses have further undermined public confidence, disrupted businesses and households and exposed weaknesses in transmission infrastructure and system management.

Against the backdrop, Chief Executive of NESI Platform Limited, Dr Obiorah Anthony, said the organisation has created a platform that would consistently hold the sector to account and stimulate a constant solution-driven dialogue.

While unveiling plans for the 2026 edition of the Nigeria Electricity Supply Industry (NESI) Week in Abuja, Anthony said the power sector lacked a platform for consistent collaboration and engagement.

According to him, the initiative was designed to move the industry beyond “talk shops” to measurable commitments and implementation.

Anthony insisted that Nigeria’s energy ecosystem requires stronger institutional collaboration, structured innovation pipelines and clear policy-to-implementation bridges.

“We are making deliberate efforts to encourage a transition towards renewable energy, because that is the global direction. Reducing carbon emissions and promoting alternative sources of energy is no longer optional. It is necessary,” he said.

NESI Week, he said, would integrate five pillars, including NESI Games, Innovation Challenge, CEO and Policy Forum, Expo and Awards. Anthony noted that the platform would bring together regulators, generation and distribution companies, investors, policymakers and legislators for outcome-driven discussions focused on long-term reform rather than short-term fixes.

He added that the CEO and Policy Forum would provide a space for frank engagement and follow-up, adding that commitments made during the forum would be tracked and reviewed yearly.

The NESI Games, according to him, remained Nigeria’s first fully carbon-measured corporate multi-sport event.
He noted that a carbon accounting framework aligned with international standards, including the Greenhouse Gas Protocol, would measure Scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions covering fuel use, electricity consumption, travel, accommodation, logistics, catering and waste.

At the end of the week, a carbon summary report will be published.

“We will measure. We will reduce. We will report transparently,” Anthony said, adding that if the energy industry can decarbonise its own event, it can decarbonise its operations.