● Boniface Oyebanji
Lagos – Nigeria: The 2025 Lagos State Energy Summit kicked off on a high note on Tuesday, April 15, with Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu declaring the summit open and reaffirming his administration’s resolve to deliver reliable and sustainable energy solutions for Africa’s most populous city. Held at the Oriental Hotel, Victoria Island, the summit attracted key players from the public and private energy sectors, including former Minister of Power and Chairman of Geometric Power Group, Professor Bart Nnaji, who delivered the keynote address.
Governor Sanwo-Olu, while opening the summit, described Lagos as a beacon of innovation and progress in the Nigerian power sector. “Lagos has always led the way, and now we are taking even bolder steps to ensure that our residents have access to uninterrupted power supply,” he said. “With the new Electricity Act of 2023 empowering states to create and regulate their own electricity markets, Lagos is ready to harness this opportunity and drive the sector forward.”
The governor noted that energy is central to economic development and social well-being, and disclosed that his administration had already set in motion plans to generate 4,000 megawatts of electricity through independent power projects. “This summit is not just a talk shop,” Sanwo-Olu emphasized. “It is a platform for building partnerships, charting policy directions, and ensuring that we meet the energy demands of a growing city.”
In his keynote address titled The Journey to Energy for All, Professor Bart Nnaji hailed Lagos State’s trailblazing role in Nigeria’s energy sector, recalling its pioneering move to partner with Enron Corporation in 1999 – long before power sector reforms were formally introduced. “The Lagos State Government took the radical step to bring in Enron, then the biggest electricity trader in the United States, to generate power in Nigeria,” he said. “That was a bold and visionary move under Governor Bola Tinubu.”
Nnaji, who was Nigeria’s Minister of Power in 2012 and a former Special Presidential Adviser on Power, recounted his personal history with Lagos State, including commissioning the 10MW gas-fired plant under Governor Babatunde Fashola. “For me, this summit feels like a homecoming,” he said, citing the 2010 launch of the national power sector roadmap in Lagos by then President Goodluck Jonathan, which he helped to craft.
The energy expert, however, sounded a note of caution regarding the sustainability of the power reforms being pursued by states. He warned that while state governments have the right to establish electricity regulatory commissions and initiate independent projects, they must adopt a commercial approach devoid of politically motivated subsidies. “Power enterprises must be run purely as commercial enterprises. There should be no room for subsidy, otherwise the DisCos will face financial ruin,” Nnaji warned.
According to him, the Federal Government currently spends over N200 billion monthly on electricity subsidies, a cost burden that no state in Nigeria can afford to replicate. “Even with state regulatory commissions, the issue of cost-reflective tariffs remains. If Lagos or any other state tries to subsidize electricity, it will only replicate the same failures that forced some DisCos into receivership,” he noted.
Nnaji welcomed reports that Ikeja Electric and Eko Electricity Distribution Company were establishing subsidiaries to manage Lagos’ internal power needs, describing it as “a positive development that ensures efficiency.” He urged the state government to adopt the embedded generation model used in Aba, where Geometric Power operates an independent and ring-fenced distribution network.
He further commended Lagos for its strategic and methodical approach to power development. “The state appears to have studied the experience of Rivers and Akwa Ibom before calling for bids to generate 4,000MW. This shows foresight and seriousness of purpose,” he said.
Highlighting the national energy deficit, Nnaji lamented that over 80 million Nigerians still lack access to electricity. “This is unacceptable in the 21st century. Algeria has long achieved full access, and there’s no reason Nigeria cannot do the same,” he stressed. He praised the summit organizers for selecting a theme that resonates with the country’s energy challenges.
He also called on Lagos to work with the Federal Government to address the nation’s worsening gas shortage, which he described as a paradox considering Nigeria’s proven gas reserves of over 210 trillion cubic feet. “We are a gas province with sprinkles of crude oil, yet our power plants and even the Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas (NLNG) company lack enough gas. It is an awful paradox with grave consequences,” he stated.
The summit featured high-level panel discussions on sustainable energy solutions, renewable energy integration, and the role of private capital in energy infrastructure. Participants agreed that Lagos was poised to play a transformative role in national energy development, provided it avoided the pitfalls that have undermined past efforts.
In closing, Professor Nnaji thanked Governor Sanwo-Olu and the summit organizers for the invitation to speak and called for unity of purpose in tackling the energy crisis. “I urge all stakeholders to move beyond talk and implement practical, sustainable solutions. The journey to energy for all is possible – if we act with clarity and courage.”
The summit continues with sessions focusing on regulatory frameworks, financing models, and gas supply optimization strategies as Lagos deepens its engagement with industry leaders, investors, and international development partners.
