President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has appointed Rilwan Lanre Babalola as Special Adviser on Power, alongside naming him Chairman of the newly established Presidential Task Force on Power Sector Reset and Restoration.
In a related move, the President has restructured the Office of the Special Adviser on Energy, redesignating it as Special Adviser on Oil and Gas to ensure clearer responsibilities and eliminate overlaps within the energy sector’s governance framework.
Babalola, who previously served as Minister of Power, is expected to leverage his extensive experience and deep understanding of the electricity sector’s long-standing structural and operational issues.
This appointment reflects the administration’s commitment to implementing a bold and results-oriented overhaul of Nigeria’s power sector. The task force, which Babalola will lead, is designed to function under direct presidential authority as a high-level body focused on delivery, coordination, and measurable outcomes across the sector.
Its core responsibilities include executing a comprehensive reset of the electricity system, enforcing a “Performance Before Expansion” approach, cutting technical and commercial losses, and strengthening financial discipline and tariff structures.
Additionally, the task force will work to improve revenue collection, boost sector liquidity, reinforce grid stability and market integrity, and encourage the productive use of electricity across critical industries. It will also focus on establishing Electricity Growth Zones, reducing government financial exposure, and presenting a detailed 90-day action plan.
President Tinubu has tasked Babalola with driving this initiative with urgency and strong execution, aligning with the administration’s Renewed Hope Agenda to achieve tangible improvements in power supply and overall sector performance.