On the 3rd of December 2025, the Nigerian Senate confirmed General C.G. Musa as President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Minister of Defence. It happened with unusual urgency. He was nominated on Monday, and by Wednesday every process required for his confirmation had been completed. This may well be the fastest screening of any presidential nominee in our recent history. We did not hear the usual refrains about reports still being prepared or committees awaiting documentation. It was treated as a matter of national urgency—a matter of alacrity.
A fundamental point made by General Musa during his confirmation screening was the need for the government, as a whole, to address the root causes of insecurity if we truly intend to change our national fortunes. The lack of jobs, the struggles faced by businesses, and a weakening economy come to mind. Nigerians will agree that one of the forces dragging our economy backwards is the lack of stable power—electricity.
Without addressing electricity supply, Nigerians will remain in poverty, and businesses will be unable to grow, forced instead into stagnation. This is why, if we are serious about confronting the challenges of our economy, and ultimately insecurity, we must confront the crisis in the power sector.
And that effort must begin from the National Assembly.
The National Assembly and its leadership must, as a matter of urgency, address our electricity challenge by confirming Engr. Abdullahi Garba Ramat as the Chairman/CEO as the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC). This is the starting point for the much-needed reforms that the power sector desperately requires.
Nigerians expect the Senate to apply the same urgency it demonstrated on security matters to the issue of electricity. The power crisis underpins every aspect of our economy and must now be treated with the seriousness it demands.
The delay in confirming Engr. Ramat as Chairman of NERC has gone on for too long. It is counterproductive to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda for the power sector. It is a recipe for failure in that sector.
Let us put aside political differences and do what is right for Nigeria.
— Olufemi Oreoluwa
