President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has officially appointed Mr. Rilwan Lanre Babalola as the Special Adviser on Power, while also designating him as the Chairman of the Presidential Task Force for Power Sector Reset and Restoration. The announcement came through a statement released on Thursday by Bayo Onanuga, the President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy.
Babalola, who previously served as a Minister of Power, brings extensive experience and a deep understanding of the electricity sector’s structural and operational hurdles. His background is expected to be instrumental in driving the sector’s transformation.
As part of broader energy governance reforms, the presidency has also redesignated the Office of the Special Adviser (Energy) to Special Adviser (Oil & Gas). This change is intended to eliminate role overlaps and ensure clearer accountability within the energy framework.
The newly formed task force will operate under a direct presidential mandate, functioning as a delivery-focused entity aimed at restoring discipline, efficiency, and commercial viability across the power sector. It will also work to coordinate efforts among various government ministries, departments, and agencies, as stated in the official release.
Among its key responsibilities, the task force is tasked with executing a comprehensive system overhaul of the electricity sector. This includes implementing a “Performance Before Expansion” strategy, reducing technical, commercial, and collection losses, and reinforcing cost discipline and tariff integrity. Additionally, the team is expected to enhance revenue assurance and sector liquidity, restore grid discipline and market integrity, promote productive power usage in critical sectors, develop electricity growth zones, reduce fiscal burdens, and deliver a 90-day implementation plan.
President Tinubu has expressed confidence in Babalola’s ability to bring urgency, discipline, and a strong execution focus to the assignment, aligning with the Renewed Hope Agenda to achieve measurable improvements in power supply and overall sector performance.