Nigeria's Senate President Akpabio: Lawmakers Serve, Not Enrich Themselves

Nigeria's Senate President Akpabio: Lawmakers Serve, Not Enrich Themselves

• Nigeria's Senate President Akpabio emphasizes lawmakers' role in serving future generations. The Electricity Act (Amendment) Bill, 2025, aims to reform Nigeria's power sector and address emerging issues.

Senate President Godswill Akpabio emphasized that lawmakers are in the Senate to serve and make sacrifices for future generations of Nigerians, not to enrich themselves. He made the statement during a debate on the Electricity Act (Amendment) Bill, 2025, which aims to reform Nigeria's power sector.

Reforming Nigeria's Electricity Sector

The proposed legislation seeks to address emerging issues in the power sector, improve coordination between national and sub-national governments, and resolve challenges that have surfaced since the implementation of the original Electricity Act in 2023. Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Power, sponsored the bill.

Key Provisions of the Bill

• The bill aims to:

- Improve policy and regulatory coordination

- Resolve legal inconsistencies between federal and state levels

- Strengthen the financial structure of the sector

- Criminalize electricity infrastructure vandalism

- Foster industrial relations in the sector

- Clarify transitional provisions for intrastate electricity matters

- Define a comprehensive framework for engaging host communities

- Address the implementation of the Power Consumer Assistance Fund

Next Steps

The bill has scaled second reading and has been referred to the Senate Committee on Power for further legislative input. The committee is expected to report back within six weeks.

Keyword Optimization:

- "Nigeria's power sector reform"

- "Electricity Act amendment"

- "Senate President Godswill Akpabio"

- "Nigeria's electricity sector challenges"

- "Power Consumer Assistance Fund"