PMB signs amended constitution to allow states generate, transmit electricity
Nigeria’s President, Muhammadu Buhari, has on Friday, March 17 signed into law the constitutional amendment granting states the autonomy to licence, generate, transmit, and distribute electricity.
This was disclosed in a tweet by the presidential media spokesperson, Tolu Ogunlesi.
He tweeted, “President Muhammadu Buhari has signed 16 constitution amendment bills into law. By this signing, State Houses of Assembly and judiciaries now have constitutionally guaranteed financial independence, while railways have moved from Exclusive Legislative List to the concurrent list.
“Another landmark change: By virtue of the presidential assent, Nigerian states can now generate, transmit and distribute electricity in areas covered by the national grid. (This) wasn’t allowed pre-amendment. This is genuine, realistic restructuring — through the constitution.”
Over the years, generation, transmission and distribution of electricity is being handled by the Federal Government before the privatisation era where the distribution aspect of it was given to private investors.
With this landmark achievement, states will no longer depend on the federal government’s national grid but will at the same time create their own capacity for power generation and for commercial purposes.