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Nigeria’s President Bola Tinubu has appointed Rilwan Babalola as Special Adviser on Power and Chairman of the Presidential Task Force on Power Sector Reset and Restoration.
The appointment was announced in a State House statement issued on Thursday via an X post by the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga. Babalola, a former Minister of Power, is expected to lead the administration’s renewed push to address long-standing challenges in the electricity sector.
“The President expects Mr Babalola to bring urgency, discipline, and a strong execution focus to this assignment, in line with the Renewed Hope Agenda, to deliver measurable improvements in power supply and sector performance,” the statement read.
STATEHOUSE PRESS RELEASE
PRESIDENT TINUBU APPOINTS LANRE BABALOLA AS SPECIAL ADVISER ON POWER, CHAIRS PRESIDENTIAL TASKFORCE ON POWER SECTOR RESET
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, has appointed Mr Rilwan Lanre Babalola as Special Adviser to the President on Power and as… pic.twitter.com/s4hG66lHNY
— Bayo Onanuga, OON, CON (@aonanuga1956) April 30, 2026
According to the statement, the task force will operate under a direct presidential mandate as a high-level delivery platform to improve coordination across agencies in the power sector. It is expected to drive a comprehensive reset of the electricity value chain, improve efficiency and restore commercial viability in the sector.
The task force has been charged with implementing a performance-before-expansion framework, reducing technical and commercial losses, and enforcing cost discipline and tariff integrity. Its work also includes improving revenue collection, boosting liquidity in the power sector, restoring grid discipline, and strengthening market stability. Other priorities are promoting productive electricity use in key sectors, creating Electricity Growth Zones, reducing fiscal risk, and producing a 90-day action plan.
In the same announcement, the President renamed the Office of the Special Adviser (Energy) to the Special Adviser on Oil and Gas. The change aims to clarify roles and prevent duplicate functions within the energy governance structure. The presidency said the restructuring will ensure clearer responsibilities and better coordination across the energy sector.
“The President expects Mr Babalola to bring urgency, discipline, and a strong execution focus to this assignment, in line with the Renewed Hope Agenda, to deliver measurable improvements in power supply and sector performance,” the statement stated.
