President Bola Tinubu has formally established a high‑level, 11‑member committee to drive the incorporation and operational launch of the Grid Asset Management Company Limited (GAMCO), a new federal power sector entity designed to tackle systemic transmission and grid performance issues in Nigeria’s electricity supply system. The committee’s inauguration followed the Federal Executive Council’s approval of the company’s creation earlier in the week, marking a strategic shift in government efforts to resolve long‑standing structural weaknesses that have hampered reliable power delivery.
The committee was constituted with a clear mandate: ensure the smooth and legally compliant establishment of GAMCO as a fully functional entity capable of managing critical national grid assets. Chaired by the President’s Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila, the panel includes key cabinet ministers and senior government officials from power, finance, works, science and technology, and other relevant sectors. Its work is grounded in a comprehensive review of existing laws, policies, and institutional frameworks that govern Nigeria’s electricity value chain.
Among the committee’s core tasks is a critical assessment of the Electricity Reform Laws (2025) and related regulations to determine how legal and institutional reforms might be required to support the company’s operational structure. Members will analyze asset ownership, regulatory overlap, and policy constraints, and will benchmarks existing frameworks against the objectives of GAMCO’s operational model. This analytical review will guide recommendations on legislative or regulatory amendments needed to facilitate GAMCO’s launch.
The panel will also scrutinize the operational status and legal standing of major power assets currently under other government agencies. These include the assets of the Niger Delta Power Holding Company and the National Integrated Power Project, notably the Omotosho, Olorunsogo, and Ihovbor plants. These plants are earmarked for use in GAMCO’s initial pilot phase, with the aim of recovering and optimising as much as 1,600 megawatts of currently underutilized generation capacity within the next 18–24 months.
A significant focus of the committee’s work will be on improving the Benin–Lagos transmission corridor, a critical artery for power evacuation to Nigeria’s largest industrial and commercial regions, including Ogun and Lagos states. Plans include the potential development of a new 330kV+ double‑circuit transmission line that could strengthen grid resilience and reduce bottlenecks that have historically restrained efficient power distribution.
GAMCO is designed to operate as a commercial entity owned by the Federal Government through the Ministry of Finance Incorporated. Its strategic model is to blend disciplined asset management with private capital mobilisation, aiming to unlock stranded generation, streamline transmission operations, and reinforce grid infrastructure. If the pilot phase is successful, the government intends to scale this model across additional corridors and assets nationwide to underpin long‑term grid stability and improved power reliability.
This initiative reflects an analytical and economically grounded response to Nigeria’s entrenched power sector challenges. By institutionalising rigorous legal reviews, clear operational mandates, and strategic infrastructure development, the committee’s work is expected to lay the foundation for substantive improvements in power supply reliability, support industrial productivity, and bolster investor confidence.
