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Tinubu seeks time to verify N4tn GENCO debt

Published

2 months ago

July 26, 2025

President Bola Tinubu on Friday asked electricity generation companies to grant the Federal Government more time to “do verification and validation of the numbers” on longstanding liabilities the power market says it is owed.

He also gave anticipatory approval for a N4tn bond programme to plug the sector’s liquidity hole.

This followed the President’s meeting with the Association of Power Generation Companies, led by Col. Sani Bello (retd.), at the Aso Rock Presidential Villa, Abuja.

The Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, revealed details of Friday’s talks in a statement titled, ‘President Tinubu meets Chairmen of GENCOs, pledges to resolve longstanding debt claims.’

Nigeria privatised its generation and distribution assets in 2013, but chronic under-recovery of tariffs, unpaid subsidies, gas supply constraints, weak transmission capacity and pervasive energy theft have kept the market cash-strapped.

The Nigerian Bulk Electricity Trading Company routinely pays GENCOs a fraction of their monthly invoices, creating an ever widening arrears book that is then financed with short-term bank debt at double digit interest rates.

The signing of the Electricity Act 2023 by President Tinubu pushed for cost reflective tariffs, metering programmes and transmission upgrades and lifted collections.

However, legacy debts and gas under-supply still threaten generation capacity and fresh investment.

With banks tightening exposure limits, GENCOs warned that foreclosures could cascade through the value chain without an immediate government backed settlement plan.

At Friday’s meeting, President Tinubu acknowledged the historic arrears but insisted payments would be anchored on a transparent audit.

“I accept the assets and liabilities of my predecessors, and there is no question about that. But that acceptance must be on credible grounds.

“I need to wear the audit cap of verifiability, authenticity, and the fact that this inheritance is not a mere deodorant but a support structure for critical economic and industrial promotion,” he stated.

The President appealed for patience from GENCOs and lenders while government firms engage auditors and lawyers to scrub the claims.

“We are here. So, market it to your other colleagues. Give us time to do verification and validation of the numbers,” he said.

Reiterating his preference for a market-driven power industry, Tinubu said the sector’s “long neglected legacy issues” are finally being addressed.

The President also cautioned banks against pulling the plug on indebted GENCOS.

“This is a longstanding issue that is now being dealt with. I know how much we have been able to save on fuel subsidies. We introduced the alternative, CNG, to bring relief back to the people.

“To our friends in the banking sector, I ask that we avoid foreclosures. Sharpen your pencils, but keep an eraser handy. Let’s persevere together,” he stated.

Describing electricity as “the most important discovery of humanity in the last 1,000 years,” Tinubu reaffirmed that access to power was fundamental to growth and human dignity.

The Special Adviser to the President on Energy, Olu Verheijen, said the administration was confronting a decade long cash crunch rooted in tariff and market shortfalls.

Verheijen disclosed that, “As of April 2025, the Federal Government is carrying a verified exposure of N4tn in debts to GENCOs, an accumulation dating back to 2015.

“We have since sat with 27 GENCOs—not all of them are here today—and reviewed their PPAs and gas sales agreements to understand the legitimacy of their claims. The GENCOs claimed about N4tn from 2015 to the end of 2023.”

According to her, the Nigerian Bulk Electricity Trading Company has validated N1.8tn of these claims so far.

“Since that period, we have had N200bn in unfunded subsidies that have accumulated the Federal Government’s liability. So, as of April 2025, the total exposure that we are carrying at the moment is N4tn,” she added.

However, she warned that the figure remained subject to downward revision, pending final validation.

“While there is an anticipatory approval of this N4tn bond programme, it is subject to negotiations and final settlement of agreements. Only the amounts that the Federal Government validly owes are the things that will make it into the issuance by DMO,” Verheijen noted.

The Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, commended President Tinubu for the attention given to the power sector, stating that the administration’s reforms had restored investors’ confidence and improved performance across the electricity value chain.

“Your Excellency, your presence at this meeting is a clear testament to your unwavering commitment to the sustainability, stability, and long-term development of Nigeria’s power sector. Under your leadership, we have recorded critical milestones in less than two years,” the minister said.

Adelabu said the Tinubu administration signed into law the Electricity Act, 2023, decentralising and liberalising the electricity market.

He noted that the administration had launched Nigeria’s first Integrated National Electricity Policy in 24 years, attracted over $2bn in new private capital, and grown sector annual revenue by 70 per cent—from N1tn in 2023 to N1.7tn in 2024—reducing government subsidy obligations by over N700bn.

Adelabu added that installed generation capacity had grown from 13,000 MW to 14,000 MW, with an all-time peak generation of 5,801 MW and a record maximum daily energy delivery of 120,370 MWh, achieved on March 4, 2025.

According to him, there has been no national grid collapse in 2025, a direct result of interventions under the Presidential Power Initiative, which has added over 700 MW of transmission capacity.

He reported progress in narrowing Nigeria’s metering gap through the N700bn Presidential Metering Initiative (via FAAC) and the World Bank supported DISREP, which has already delivered 300,000 smart meters out of 3.45 million procured.

While acknowledging these strides, Adelabu cautioned that the sector is grappling with an urgent liquidity crisis that could undermine ongoing reforms.

“Mr. President, given the grave implications of this debt overhang, including the risk of a nationwide shutdown of generation assets, I humbly seek your immediate support for defraying these obligations, even if partially, over a defined period,” he stated.

In separate remarks, business leaders, Tony Elumelu and Kola Adesina, appealed for urgent intervention.

“Mr. President, we’ve come to you as a last hope. The generating companies are heavily indebted to banks, and foreclosure threats are real, not because we’re not doing our jobs, but because the system owes us trillions,” Elumelu said.

He added, “Before you took office in 2023, we lost 97 per cent of our daily oil production. Today, we are retaining 98 per cent. That’s transformation. Investors are seeing greater stability and predictability. We don’t need power to complete your transformation, we need power to enable it. Power is critical to unlocking Nigeria’s full potential. We urge you to help solve this debt problem.”

Adesina also stressed liquidity and gas supply: “Liquidity is the oxygen of our business. Without urgent intervention, generation capacity will stall, and Nigeria’s industrial and economic ambitions will be jeopardised.

“The plants in the Afam axis are underperforming because we have not paid gas suppliers. We propose unlocking 800 million cubic feet of gas through NLNG to boost supply to these power plants.”

Friday’s meeting was attended by the President’s Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila; Coordinating Minister of the Economy and Finance Minister Wale Edun; Minister of Information Mohammed Idris; and other senior officials, regulators and stakeholders — underscoring the political and financial weight now being thrown at the sector’s decade-old debt gridlock.

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News

Trump administration cuts energy projects, freezes New York funding

Published

3 hours ago

October 2, 2025

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The Trump administration has announced plans to terminate dozens of clean energy projects and freeze billions of dollars for major projects in New York, intensifying a stand-off with Democrats over a US government shutdown.

US media outlets described the moves announced by the energy and transportation departments as part of the administration’s efforts to pressure Democrats in Congress to agree on a deal to end the shutdown.

US President Donald Trump had raced to enact hard-right policies even before the shutdown began after midnight on Tuesday, threatening mass firings and to slash government departments, and blaming Democrats for Congress’ failure to resolve a funding stand-off.

The Department of Energy announced on Thursday “the termination of 321 financial awards supporting 223 projects, resulting in a savings of approximately $7.56 billion for American taxpayers.”

It said in a statement that those projects — overseen by the Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations, the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy and other bodies — “did not adequately advance the nation’s energy needs… and would not provide a positive return on investment of taxpayer dollars.”

However, recipients of federal funding have 30 days to appeal against a termination decision, and some have already begun the process, the statement said.

It did not list the projects in question.

In a post on social media platform X, Russell Vought, who heads the powerful Office of Management and Budget, called the slashed projects “Green New Scam funding” that was used to advance “the Left’s climate agenda”.

He listed the states affected by the decision. They include California, New York and 14 others — all blue states where Trump failed to win in the 2024 presidential elections.

California Governor Gavin Newsom said the Trump administration had decided to cancel “up to $1.2 billion” slated for a major hydrogen energy project, threatening tens of thousands of jobs.

“In Trump’s America, energy policy is set by the highest bidder, economics and common sense be damned,” Newsom said in a statement, vowing to keep pursuing a “clean energy strategy… no matter what DC tries to dictate.”

In New York — the home state of top Senate Democrat Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries — the Department of Transportation announced on Wednesday it was freezing nearly $18 billion in federal funding for two major infrastructure projects, the Second Avenue subway and Hudson Tunnel.

The move takes aim at diversity, equity and inclusion policies, according to the department’s statement, saying that subsidizing projects with “race- and sex-based contracting requirements… is unconstitutional, counter to civil rights laws, and a waste of taxpayer resources.”

The funds would be frozen until a “quick administrative review is complete,” it said.

“Thanks to the Chuck Schumer and Hakeem Jeffries shutdown, however, USDOT’s review of New York’s unconstitutional practices will take more time,” it added, saying that the department “has been forced to furlough the civil rights staff responsible for conducting this review.”

New York Governor Kathy Hochul, a Democrat, said in a statement that halting funding for “critical infrastructure projects” was “political payback and an attack on New York.”

“Donald Trump has been clear: he is intent on using his reckless government shutdown to hurt the American people,” she said.

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Shettima returns to Abuja after attending UNGA, meetings in Germany

Published

3 hours ago

October 2, 2025

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Vice President Kashim Shettima has returned to Abuja after representing President Bola Tinubu at the 80th Session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York and high-level engagements in Germany.

The vice president’s aircraft touched down at the presidential wing of the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, in the early hours of Thursday, where he was received by senior government officials.

During the week-long engagements, Shettima delivered the President’s national statement at the UNGA, calling for comprehensive reforms of the global body.

Vice President Kashim Shettima is being welcomed some government officials at the airport. Photo: State House

He also advocated Africa’s sovereignty over its estimated $700 billion mineral resources and strengthened Nigeria’s partnerships with the United Kingdom, the Gates Foundation, and other international stakeholders.

In New York, Shettima met with UN Secretary-General António Guterres, who commended Nigeria’s bid for a permanent seat on the UN Security Council.

The vice president also showcased Nigeria’s $200 billion energy transition opportunities to global investors and assured members of the Nigerian diaspora of continued engagement in the Tinubu administration’s policies and programmes.

He later proceeded to Germany for further strategic meetings before returning to the country.

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News

Lagos unveils artisan certification to curb building collapse

Published

3 hours ago

October 2, 2025

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The Lagos State Materials Testing Laboratory has launched a new certification and training programme for artisans in the construction industry as part of efforts to stem the spate of building collapses in the state.

The initiative, known as the Certified Structural Integrated Programme, was unveiled at a stakeholders’ forum held in Ese-Offin and Badagry, where block moulders, bricklayers, concrete mixers, steel fabricators and welders converged to pledge support for safer construction practices.

In a statement on Thursday by the Lagos Government, General Manager of LSMTL, Olayinka Abdul, said the programme marked a decisive step in tackling recurring tragedies linked to substandard construction materials.

“Without artisans, there is no construction. But with you, we have the power to ensure every construction is safe, sound, and secure. We need to earnestly curb episodes of collapse in high-water-prone communities, and we do not want such in your community. It ends today,” he said.

According to the statement, the CSIP is a five-year assessment programme aimed at certifying construction materials as fit-for-purpose.

It will also produce an official directory of approved block moulders, concrete mixers and steel fabricators, to whom developers will be directed for supplies.

“This is not just about enforcement; it is about partnership and empowerment. Together, we can forge an unbreakable alliance that makes Lagos a model for building safety and integrity,” Abdul added.

Technical experts at the forum highlighted the scientific backing for the initiative. Director of the Soil and Geotechnics Unit, Engr. Abimbola Adebayo, stressed the need for mandatory soil tests before construction.

Similarly, Kayode Akinfeleye of the Technical Services Department advised builders to ensure architectural drawings are obtained and preserved, describing them as “a core requirement in the Lagos building process.”

Artisan guild leaders welcomed the initiative. Chairman of the National Association of Block Moulders of Nigeria, Alhaji Fabiyi Oyeleke, described frequent collapses as “disheartening” and commended the forum as a step in the right direction.

On his part, Chairman of the Lagos State Bricklayers Association, Mr. Fashina Aro, noted the peculiarities of Lagos’s swampy terrain and urged all stakeholders to ensure materials and soil tests are completed before bricklayers commence work on any site.

Building collapse has been a persistent challenge in Lagos, with many lives lost and substantial property damage over the years.

In recent incidents, emergency responders have had to rescue workers from collapsed structures.

PUNCH Online reports that rescue teams pulled eight workers from the debris of a collapsed building in September.

Reports by the Building Collapse Prevention Guild show Lagos accounts for about 55% of recorded building collapse incidents in Nigeria over the past several decades.

In response, Lagos has taken steps to strengthen bodies like the Lagos State Building Control Agency, enhancing enforcement, monitoring, and regulation of building standards.

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