President of the Association of Environmental Protection and Climate Change Practitioners, AVM (Rtd) Akugbe Iyamu, has commended Minister of Power, Joseph Olasunkanmi Tegbe, for what he described as efforts to improve Nigeria’s electricity sector.
In a statement titled, “A Possible Light in an Impossible Darkness: The Case of Joseph Olasunkanmi Tegbe, the New Minister of Power,” Iyamu said Tegbe’s actions since assuming office in May 2026 were gradually changing the landscape of the power sector.
He said the minister had demonstrated that improving electricity supply should not take an indefinite period, particularly in a sector that had faced persistent challenges and growing frustration among Nigerians.
“Your actions are gradually changing the landscape,” Iyamu said, adding that Tegbe had brought possibilities into an electricity environment where many had become doubtful that significant improvement was achievable.
According to him, the minister’s approach had demonstrated the importance of knowledge, skills, competence, ethical commitment and a strong sense of duty in achieving results in the power sector.
Iyamu said Tegbe had also shown that citizens’ outrage and public outcry should not be required before routine responsibilities, such as providing reliable electricity, were addressed.
He described the minister’s tenure as an indication that quality input could produce quality output, stressing that there was no shortcut to solving Nigeria’s electricity challenges.
“Since May 2026, you have demonstrated that only quality input can produce quality output and that there is no shortcut to the provision of electricity in Nigeria,” he said.
While acknowledging that Tegbe’s time in office was limited, Iyamu said the minister’s efforts had shown the importance of Nigerians contributing to national development and of promoting merit over mediocrity.
He drew a comparison with Singapore’s development under Lee Kuan Yew, referencing the former Singaporean leader’s account in his book, From Third World to First, of how Singaporeans were used to build the country’s economy after the devastation of war.
Iyamu said Tegbe was similarly “building Nigeria electricity from the ruins of incompetence and neglect.”
He further linked the development of the power sector to broader national development, arguing that electricity remained central to the building of a strong economy.
The environmental practitioner also compared Tegbe’s efforts with those of Ramón Méndez Galain, the Uruguayan physicist and former Energy Secretary who played a leading role in the country’s transition towards predominantly renewable electricity.
He noted that Méndez Galain, appointed in 2008 by former Uruguayan President Tabaré Vázquez, spearheaded a multi-party national plan that shifted the country’s electricity system from heavy fossil fuel dependence to predominantly renewable energy.
Iyamu described his statement as an acknowledgement intended to encourage Tegbe to do more, rather than become complacent, stressing that the minister’s efforts were important to Nigeria’s broader economic aspirations, including the journey towards a $1 trillion economy.