President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has taken a decisive step to address Nigeria’s longstanding electricity transmission challenges by constituting an 11-member committee tasked with facilitating the smooth incorporation of the Grid Asset Management Company Limited (GAMCO). The committee was inaugurated on Friday at the State House in Abuja by the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, who represented the President at the event. This development follows the Federal Executive Council’s approval earlier in the week for the establishment of GAMCO, a new entity proposed directly by President Tinubu to serve as a quick-fix mechanism for endemic issues in the power sector.
GAMCO is designed primarily to optimise and revolutionise the management of Nigeria’s national grid, with a focus on evacuating stranded power-electricity generated but unable to reach consumers due to transmission bottlenecks, and enhancing overall grid stability and efficiency. The initiative targets persistent problems such as frequent grid collapses, underutilised generation capacity, and inefficiencies in the transmission network managed by the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN). Government projections indicate that GAMCO could recover at least 1,600 megawatts of stranded power within 18 to 24 months, potentially boosting available electricity supply significantly.
The committee’s mandate includes conducting a comprehensive review of existing laws, policies, regulations, and institutional frameworks governing the electricity value chain, spanning generation, transmission, distribution, and market operations. It will also examine the implications of the Electricity Reform Laws (2025) and ongoing unbundling arrangements on asset ownership, management, and regulatory oversight. Additionally, the panel is expected to assess contractual obligations related to assets owned by entities like the Niger Delta Power Holding Company and the National Integrated Power Project, including pilot plants such as Omotosho, Olorunsogo, and Ihovbor.
Gbajabiamila described the establishment of GAMCO as one of the revolutionary steps by the Tinubu administration in the critical power sector, aimed at unlocking idle generation capacity, improving transmission infrastructure, and ensuring more reliable power delivery nationwide. This move aligns with broader efforts to strengthen Nigeria’s electricity ecosystem amid chronic shortages that hamper economic growth, industrial productivity, and daily life. Industry stakeholders and consumers have long called for targeted reforms to transmission, which remains a major bottleneck despite increases in generation capacity
While some observers have raised questions about potential overlaps with existing agencies like TCN and the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission, the presidency emphasises GAMCO’s role as a specialised vehicle to accelerate improvements and attract investment. The committee’s work is expected to lay the groundwork for GAMCO’s operational framework, paving the way for enhanced grid performance and reduced power outages in the coming months and years.
