JUST IN: Ondo initiates new power law, seeks to attract investors
By Boye Oyeyemi
Ondo State Governor, Lucky Aiyedatiwa, has assented to the Ondo State Electric Power Sector (Amendment) Law, 2026, in a move aimed at attracting private investment and improving electricity generation and distribution across the state.
The development was contained in a statement issued on Thursday by the Governor’s Chief Press Secretary, Prince Ebenezer Adeniyan, who said the new law would strengthen the legal and institutional framework governing the state’s electricity sector.
According to the statement, the legislation, passed by the Ondo State House of Assembly, amended the 2020 Electric Power Sector Law to align the state’s electricity framework with the Electricity Act, 2023.
A major provision of the law is the establishment of the Ondo State Electricity Regulatory Commission as an independent body to regulate tariffs, licences, open access, mini-grids, renewable energy and other activities within the electricity market.
The law also provides for the establishment of the State Independent System Operator and State Market Operator, while making metering compulsory for both grid-connected and off-grid electricity consumers.
It further protects electricity infrastructure funded by communities, individuals and associations, while creating the offence of electricity infrastructure expansion sabotage for anyone who deliberately obstructs certified electricity facilities from being connected to the grid.
Reacting to the development, the Commissioner for Energy and Mineral Resources, Johnson Alabi, described the governor’s assent as a major milestone in the state’s efforts to build a modern and investment-driven electricity sector.
Alabi said, “The law provides the legal foundation for Ondo State to take full advantage of the opportunities created by the decentralisation of Nigeria’s electricity market. It will encourage private-sector participation, protect investments, improve metering and expand electricity infrastructure.”
