*Says energy subsidy will protect consumers, drive gconomic growth

Sunday Aborisade in Abuja

The Chairman, Senate Committee on the Environment, Senator Yunus Abiodun Akintunde (APC – Oyo Central) has called on the Federal Government to rethink its approach to the power sector by ending the indirect enrichment of private electricity distribution companies (DisCos) with public funds.

Instead, he urged the government to institute a structured electricity subsidy regime to alleviate the burden on Nigerian consumers.

Speaking on the floor of the Senate at plenary, the lawmaker, decried the current practice where government funds are used to purchase electricity transformers for communities, only for the assets to be taken over by DisCos, who then charge for installation and claim ownership.

He said, “When you buy a transformer, you give it to communities. Distribution companies will ask you to pay for installation.

“On the day they energise that transformer, it becomes their property. It means we are using government money to enrich some individuals operating as DisCos,” Akintunde said.

He criticised the structural imbalance in the power sector, noting that while generation and distribution have been privatised, the transmission segment remains government-controlled and underdeveloped.

He said, “If you look at the infrastructure in transmission, they are old and underutilised,” he observed, stressing that this is a key constraint to stable electricity supply nationwide.

Akintunde, Nigeria’s first PhD holder in Energy and Environmental Studies, asserted that power subsidy remains a global norm and essential for inclusive economic development.

He said, “There is nowhere in the world where power is not being subsidised—even in the UK. We cannot abandon subsidies because of past mismanagement.

“Energy should be subsidised; it is a fundamental pillar of economic management,” he said.

Akintunde is a seasoned technocrat with academic and policy credentials across Physics, Public Administration, and Energy Studies from institutions including The Polytechnic Ibadan, Lagos State University, and the University of Ibadan,

The Senator has consistently used his Senate platform to advocate for sustainable infrastructure, environmental protection, and equitable energy access.

He recently returned from a high-level Korea Foundation Invitation Programme in South Korea, where he joined fellow parliamentarians to explore bilateral opportunities in energy, agriculture, and environmental innovation.

Since entering the Senate in 2023, Akintunde has gained a reputation for championing grassroots electrification, water access, education, youth security, and environmental reforms.

His latest push to reform electricity financing signals his broader agenda to place economic justice and public interest at the heart of national policy.

“This is not just about transformers—it’s about correcting a broken system. Let’s stop using public funds to empower private monopolies. Let’s instead empower Nigerians with affordable and reliable electricity,” he concluded.

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