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Grid collapse: EFCC probes electricity contracts
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The Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Ola Olukoyede, on Tuesday, attributed the country’s epileptic power supply to corruption within the power sector.
He said the commission initiated a probe into the sector, adding that what it uncovered during its investigations would make Nigerians shed tears.
Speaking during the visit of the House Committee on Anti-Corruption and Financial Crimes to the commission’s headquarters in Abuja, Olukoyede lamented that contractors awarded projects to supply electrical equipment often opted for substandard materials.
He said this practice was a major cause of frequent equipment failures, outages, and grid collapses.
Olukoyede said, “As I am talking to you now, we are grappling with electricity. If you see some of the investigations we are carrying out within the power sector, you will shed tears.
“People who were awarded contracts to supply electricity equipment, instead of using what they call 9.0 guage, they will buy 5.0.
“So, every time you see the thing tripping off, gets burnt, and all of that, It’s part of our problems.”
He also stated that during its investigations, the commission discovered that in the last 20 years, capital project implementation and execution in the country were not up to 20 per cent.
He said the country could not achieve infrastructural or other forms of growth under such conditions.
“We discovered that in the last 15 to 20 years, we have not done up to 20 per cent of our capital project implementation and execution.
“And if we don’t do that, how do you want to have infrastructural development? How do you want to grow as a nation?
“So our mandate this year is to work with that directorate and with the National Assembly to see if we can meet up to 50 per cent of execution of our capital project for the year.
“If we do 50 per cent, we will be fine as a nation. The lack of implementation of this capital project, capital budget, is one of our major problems in Nigeria.
“If we can tackle that effectively, we will make progress as a nation. So we are doing everything to see how we can achieve that with your support.”
The anti-graft boss said the commission received over 17,000 petitions, adding that over 20,000 cases were currently under investigation.
He said, “We have several cases filed in court, apart from the conviction, running to thousands.
“In the last year, we have received over 17,000 petitions in EFCC. And right now, as I’m talking to you, we are investigating over 20,000 cases.
“Between last October and now, we have opened over 4,800 new cases. And what is our staff spread? We are less than 5,000 and now, with the additional responsibility of over 700 MDAs, 36 states, 774 local governments, and all of that.”
The Chairman of the committee, Obinna Onwusibe, called on the EFCC to collaborate with the judiciary to expedite the trials of suspects and reduce the number of inmates awaiting trial.
He said, “At this point, let me add that recently, on oversight visits to the maximum and minimum correctional centres in Kirikiri, Lagos State, numerous suspects have been awaiting trial for over one year, and yet we are all acquainted with the saying that justice delayed is justice denied.
“It is on this note that we call on the EFCC, the Attorney General of the Federation, and the judiciary to improve and ensure that the administration of criminal justice works in collaboration for an effective and efficient system that will bring about justice delivery to victims and society.”
He also urged the EFCC to ensure transparency and accountability in its operation.
“The negative maxim being peddled in certain quarters is that the agency is often being used to settle political scores, and this must be corrected by the EFCC,” he said.
President Bola Tinubu on Monday defended his administration’s decision to remove the Federal Capital Territory Administration from the Treasury Single Account, saying the policy has provided the financial flexibility needed to accelerate infrastructure development across Abuja.
The President also dismissed claims that the executive was interfering in the affairs of the judiciary through the provision of infrastructure, insisting that supporting the justice sector is a constitutional responsibility of government.
Tinubu spoke while inaugurating the new Office Annex of the Body of Benchers and 10 units of four-bedroom staff quarters at the Nigerian Law School in Bwari, Abuja.
He was represented at both events by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Dr George Akume.
Speaking on the decision to exempt the FCTA from the TSA, Tinubu said the move had enabled the administration to execute projects more efficiently by eliminating bureaucratic bottlenecks.
He said, “When we pulled the FCT Administration out of the Treasury Single Account, there were sceptics. There were those who questioned the wisdom of that financial liberation.
“But we did it because we knew that local administration must have the liquidity, the speed and the corporate flexibility to interface with financial institutions and deliver critical projects without bureaucratic strangulation. Today, the results are glaring.”
Tinubu said the visible transformation in the Federal Capital Territory had justified the policy, crediting the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, for delivering on the administration’s development agenda.
“When I appointed Minister Wike, I gave him a clear mandate to transform Abuja into a modern, functional and world-class capital city.
“Over the last three years, the scale of infrastructural development, urban renewal and project delivery in the FCT has been unmatched,” he said.
The President also commended Wike for resolving the long-standing land documentation challenge facing the Nigerian Law School by facilitating the issuance of its Certificate of Occupancy after years without a formal title.
At the inauguration of the Body of Benchers’ Office Annex, Tinubu described the project as a demonstration of his administration’s commitment to strengthening the rule of law, democratic governance and institutional independence.
Responding to criticisms that the executive was encroaching on the independence of the judiciary by constructing facilities for the legal community, the President rejected the claim.
“Let me be absolutely clear: the provision of infrastructure for the legal community and the judiciary is not an interference in the independence of another arm of government.
“Rather, it is a constitutional and collaborative duty of the executive to ensure that those who interpret and uphold our laws are provided with an environment that fosters operational efficiency and excellence,”he said.
At the Nigerian Law School, Tinubu said quality infrastructure remained essential to producing competent legal professionals, stressing that the government was committed to improving learning and living conditions within the institution.
“We cannot build a world-class legal system with dilapidated infrastructure,” he said.
The President described the newly inaugurated staff quarters as the first phase of broader investments at the Law School, disclosing that the Federal Government was funding the construction of a new auditorium, additional student hostels and the digitisation of the institution’s academic and administrative operations.
He added that similar interventions were ongoing across the justice sector, including the construction of the Abuja Division of the Court of Appeal, magistrates’ courts and residential quarters for judges.
According to him, the projects reflected the administration’s determination to strengthen institutions that sustain democracy rather than merely constructing physical infrastructure.
“We promised not just to govern, but to reform. We promised to rebuild the broken structures of our institutional foundations,” Tinubu said.
He maintained that the projects demonstrated the Federal Government’s commitment to translating its promises into measurable results through sustained investment in critical national institutions.
The Federal Government incurred an electricity tariff subsidy of N358.32 billion in the first quarter of 2026 as it continued to bridge the gap between cost-reflective electricity tariffs and the rates paid by consumers, according to the latest report by the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC).
In its First Quarter 2026 report released on Monday, NERC said the subsidy represented a 14.44 per cent decline from the N418.79 billion recorded in the fourth quarter of 2025.
The Commission attributed the reduction mainly to lower electricity offtake by distribution companies (DisCos), rather than improvements in tariff recovery.
NERC explained that because electricity tariffs remain below cost-reflective levels, the Federal Government continues to subsidise the difference between the actual cost of power generation and the approved tariffs charged to consumers.
Under the current Distribution Companies’ Remittance Obligation (DRO) framework, the subsidy covers part of the generation costs payable by DisCos to the Nigerian Bulk Electricity Trading Plc (NBET), while the Federal Ministry of Finance settles the outstanding balance.
According to the report, electricity generation companies invoiced a total of N689.72 billion for power supplied to the 11 electricity distribution companies during the quarter. However, only N331.40 billion was billed to the DisCos under the DRO arrangement, leaving the Federal Government to cover the remaining N358.32 billion.
NERC said the subsidy accounted for 51.95 per cent of the total generation invoice during the period, compared with 52.03 per cent in the preceding quarter.
“The key driver of this reduction in the Federal Government’s subsidy obligation is the decrease in energy offtake by the DisCos by 8.56 per cent between the fourth quarter of 2025 and the first quarter of 2026,” the Commission stated.
The report also showed that the 11 DisCos collected N597.56 billion out of the N756.93 billion billed to customers during the quarter, representing a collection efficiency of 78.95 per cent, slightly below the 79.36 per cent recorded in the previous quarter.
Among the distribution companies, Ikeja Electric recorded the highest collection efficiency at 90.0 per cent, followed by Eko DisCo with 89.64 per cent, Benin DisCo with 85.16 per cent, Port Harcourt DisCo with 81.22 per cent, and Abuja DisCo with 80.90 per cent.
Kaduna DisCo recorded the lowest collection efficiency at 45.81 per cent.
NERC noted that while Jos, Kaduna, Kano, Port Harcourt and Benin distribution companies improved their collection efficiencies compared with the previous quarter, the remaining six DisCos recorded declines, with Enugu DisCo posting the sharpest drop.
President Bola Tinubu is currently in a private meeting with Benue State Governor Hyacinth Alia and former governor, Senator Gabriel Suswam, at the Presidential Villa in Abuja.
The Monday meeting is taking place at a time of rising political tension in the North-Central state.
No official details have been released, as discussions are ongoing behind closed doors.
The engagement comes amid growing divisions within the Benue chapter of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), where Governor Alia and allies of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Senator George Akume, are reportedly struggling for control of the party structure ahead of the 2027 elections.
It also follows recent political shifts in the state, with Senator Suswam’s name surfacing after the APC senatorial primaries as a notable figure ahead of the next election cycle.
While it remains unconfirmed whether the state’s political crisis is on the agenda, the timing of the meeting has fueled speculation that the Presidency may be stepping in to calm tensions, reconcile rival blocs, and encourage unity among key political actors in the state.
As of the time of filing this report, the Presidency had not released any official statement on the outcome of the discussions.
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