Tinubu Appoints Lanre Babalola Special Adviser on Power, to Lead Sector Reform Taskforce
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has appointed Rilwan Lanre Babalola as Special Adviser on Power and Chairman of the Presidential Task Force on Power Sector Reset and Restoration.
The appointment was announced in a State House press release on Thursday, which also confirmed the redesignation of the Office of the Special Adviser (Energy) to Special Adviser (Oil & Gas), aimed at clarifying responsibilities and avoiding overlaps within the energy governance structure.
Babalola, a former Minister of Power, is expected to bring extensive experience and technical knowledge to the role as the administration intensifies efforts to address longstanding challenges in Nigeria’s electricity sector.
According to the statement signed by presidential spokesman Bayo Onanuga, the newly established taskforce will operate under a direct presidential mandate, serving as a high-level, delivery-driven mechanism to restore efficiency, discipline, and commercial viability across the power value chain.
The taskforce is charged with implementing a comprehensive reform agenda, including a system-wide reset of the electricity sector and the introduction of a “Performance Before Expansion” framework. It will also focus on reducing technical, commercial, and collection losses, while strengthening cost discipline and ensuring tariff integrity.
Other key priorities include improving revenue assurance and liquidity in the sector, restoring grid discipline, promoting productive use of electricity across critical sectors, and developing Electricity Growth Zones to stimulate economic activities.
The body is further mandated to reduce fiscal pressures on government finances and produce a 90-day implementation blueprint for immediate reforms.
The presidency said the appointment reflects Tinubu’s commitment to delivering measurable improvements in power supply, in line with his administration’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
