By Garba Mohammed
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has appointed Mr Rilwan 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 President also redesignated the Office of the Special Adviser (Energy) as the Special Adviser (Oil & Gas), a move aimed at clarifying responsibilities and preventing duplication of roles within the country’s energy governance structure.
Babalola, a former Minister of Power, is expected to bring strong sectoral experience and a clear understanding of the operational and structural challenges confronting Nigeria’s electricity value chain.
Mr Lanre Babalola
His appointment signals Tinubu’s renewed determination to implement a decisive and results-oriented reform programme in the power sector.
The Presidential Taskforce, which will operate under a direct presidential mandate, is expected to function as a high-level delivery platform focused on restoring discipline, efficiency, and commercial viability in the sector, while improving coordination among relevant ministries, departments, and agencies.
According to the mandate, the taskforce will drive a comprehensive reset of the electricity system, implement a “Performance Before Expansion” framework, reduce technical, commercial and collection losses, and strengthen cost discipline and tariff integrity.
It will also work to improve revenue assurance and sector liquidity, restore grid discipline and market integrity, promote productive use of electricity across key sectors, develop Electricity Growth Zones, reduce fiscal exposure, and deliver a 90-day implementation blueprint.
President Tinubu is said to expect Babalola to bring urgency, discipline, and strong execution capacity to the assignment in line with the Renewed Hope Agenda, with the goal of achieving measurable improvements in power supply and overall sector performance.
