Nigeria’s power sector reforms have progressed beyond policy declarations into a phase of measurable outcomes, as the Niger Delta Power Holding Company marked its 20th anniversary amid sweeping changes in the electricity market.

Vice President Kashim Shettima who spoke at the anniversary celebration held at the State House Banquet Hall in Abuja, said the enactment of the Electricity Act 2023 had fundamentally altered the operating landscape for the power sector and repositioned the NDPHC for a more commercially driven future.

The Vice President described the law as a defining turning point that provides the company with clearer legal authority, stronger institutional footing and enhanced credibility to compete and partner in an increasingly open energy market.

According to Shettima, who also chairs the NDPHC board, the company is now transitioning from its traditional role as an integration-driven intervention vehicle to a commercially disciplined, market-focused enterprise, while retaining its national development mandate.

Our focus is on extracting greater value from existing assets, strengthening contracts and market participation, ensuring governance-led commercialisation, managing risks responsibly and investing in human capital, he said.

He assured Nigerians that the board would continue to provide strategic direction, uphold governance standards and protect shareholder value on behalf of the Nigerian people, while aligning the company’s operations with national energy and development goals.

Shettima also credited President Bola Tinubu with restoring investor confidence in the power sector, saying the administration’s reform-driven approach had created conditions for long-term stability.

In her opening remarks, the Managing Director of NDPHC, Jennifer Adighije, said the company’s impact over the past two decades had gone far beyond power generation, cutting across the transmission and distribution segments of the electricity value chain.

She disclosed that NDPHC has added over 9,000 megavolt-amperes of installed transformer capacity to the national grid, alongside the construction of transmission substations, line-bay extensions and hundreds of kilometres of transmission lines across the country.

All of this could only have been made possible by the sheer determination and the commitment of the board, the management, and the very capable staff of NDPHC, Adighije said.

She attributed the scale of intervention to the commitment of the board, management and staff of the company, noting that NDPHC is now adopting a more customer-centric strategy in line with the Electricity Act.

According to her, the company is leveraging the new law to deepen collaborations with bilateral partners, eligible customers, regional players under the West African Power Pool and other market participants, positioning itself as a key driver of power infrastructure development.

Adighije also revealed that NDPHC, with the approval of President Tinubu and the Minister of Power, has approached the bond market under the power sector refinancing plan to raise funds to offset government indebtedness to power generation companies.

She said the initiative, being championed by the Ministry of Finance, is expected to unlock liquidity in the sector and stabilise electricity supply.

Similarly, the Minister of Power, Chief Adebayo Adelabu, described NDPHC as a cornerstone of Nigeria’s electricity architecture, noting that through the National Integrated Power Project, the company has built one of Africa’s largest portfolios of government-backed power assets.

Adelabu disclosed that NDPHC recently restored 345 megawatts of generation capacity to the national grid, including 120MW from Omotosho NIPP, 112.5MW from Benin NIPP and 112.5MW from Ihovbor NIPP.

He also highlighted the Light Up Nigeria project as a key intervention aimed at supporting industrialisation by delivering reliable electricity to industrial clusters nationwide.

These achievements reflect the broader gains of the power sector reforms under President Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, which are focused on reliability, access and investment, the minister said.

Also speaking, the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Gas), Ekperikpe Ekpo, praised Adighije’s leadership, describing her performance as outstanding within a short period in office.

He stressed that sustainable power supply remains central to industrialisation and economic growth, while commending the leadership provided by the NDPHC board under the Vice President.

The Niger Delta Power Holding Company was established in 2005 under the National Integrated Power Project as a government intervention vehicle to accelerate power generation, transmission and distribution infrastructure nationwide.

The anniversary event comes as Nigeria intensifies efforts to stabilise its electricity market through legislative reforms, infrastructure rehabilitation and financial restructuring, with NDPHC increasingly positioned as a bridge between government intervention and market-driven power development.