The Senate on Wednesday began debate on a bill seeking to overhaul the Electricity Act, 2023.
During the debate, the lawmaker representing Abia South, Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe, raised the alarm about what he described as an imminent collapse of Nigeria’s power sector due to deep-seated operational and financial crises.
Abaribe, who presented his debate on the Electricity Act (Amendment) Bill 2025, said the legislation was a direct response to the myriad of challenges threatening the sustainability of the Nigerian electricity supply industry, including trillions of naira in unpaid debts, growing cases of vandalism, regulatory ambiguities, and legal clashes between federal and state electricity authorities.
According to him, the proposed amendment—containing 28 clauses—seeks to fortify the legal and institutional frameworks of the electricity sector while bridging gaps identified in the principal Act enacted in 2023.
The senator said the nation’s epileptic power supply was a symptom of systemic dysfunction, highlighting that the bill was a step towards “rescuing the sector from a slow but certain collapse.”
In compliance with Senate rules, Abaribe assured that the bill, once passed, would not impose any new financial burden on the federal treasury.
“Rather, it aims to help curb losses, streamline operations, and restore investor confidence in the sector,” he said.
He urged his colleagues to give the bill speedy consideration and support its progression to the second reading stage.
Meanwhile, stakeholders across the energy value chain are expected to closely monitor the bill as it moves through legislative stages in the weeks ahead.
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