Joseph Tegbe’s Concerns About Power Sector Changes

In Ayn Rand’s mystery story, Atlas Shrugged, Nigeria’s Minister of Power, Joseph Tegbe, can learn something: the importance of reason.

Rand’s 1957 book still holds value outside her fictional world. She argues that reason is important for everyone. It is necessary not only for scientists in labs but for all of us every day. The heroes of Atlas Shrugged are thinkers. They show a commitment to understanding their work, themselves, and the world around them. They set their goals and values through thought and never place desires above facts.

This is a good standard for anyone running a government ministry. In government, good intentions can lead to high costs.

Tegbe recently announced plans for a call centre where Nigerians can report electricity complaints. He also mentioned that this initiative would create “sustainable job opportunities” for young Nigerians across the country.

For a minister who needs to take action, Tegbe’s statement on electricity sounds like a man handed the wheel of a ship during a storm, only to find the engine room flooding. He seems confused and overwhelmed.

But Tegbe has experience leading advisory services at KPMG and working with Fortune 500 companies. He should use clear policy statements based on facts.

Let me be clear: Nigeria’s power sector is like a child in crisis that needs a skilled healer with sharp insight.

It is unclear what Tegbe was thinking, but the setting may have influenced his words. Speaking to university students might have made the promise of jobs seem more pressing than the tougher question of whether the call centre is truly needed. But electricity policy cannot be based on applause. It must be based on facts.

The first fact is that Nigeria already has a system for handling electricity complaints. The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) clearly states this. A customer’s first contact point is the Customer Complaints Unit of the Distribution Company (DisCo) serving them. Under regulation 43 of the Customer Protection Regulations 2023, the DisCo must resolve complaints within 15 working days, depending on the case’s complexity. If a customer is unhappy or if the complaint is delayed, it can be escalated to the NERC Consumer Forum and then to NERC.

For issues related to meter accuracy or bill adjustments, the resolution time is one billing cycle, usually one month. If the complaint is not resolved within the first 15 days, the DisCo must inform the customer in writing, explaining the reasons and asking for an extension of no more than another 15 days unless the matter needs longer due to construction work. So, practically, a DisCo cannot just take a complaint and leave the customer hanging without an explanation.

All Tegbe needs to do is make the existing law work for consumers. He does not need to turn his office into a ministry of “call centres.” That would be poor economics.

It seems Tegbe overlooked his consulting background when he made that statement. He did not align his goals with clear thinking, putting political desires above operational reality. His proposed economic model contradicts the realities of capital expenditure.

The question for Tegbe is not whether Nigerians need a place to complain. They already have one.

The real questions are why the current regulatory system is not working and what a new federal call centre could achieve that established bodies cannot.

Ideally, a call centre that helps citizens understand the existing system could be helpful. A national number that takes complaints, assigns case numbers, and routes them to the right utility or regulator could improve access.

But that is different from setting up another government structure to do something that already exists within the electricity regulatory framework. The risk is that this could create another barrier between citizens and the institution responsible for solving the problem. That is not real reform. It is the opposite.

Overall, it could just lead to more bureaucracy with a new national hotline for complaints.

There is also a bigger issue with the proposal. Nigeria’s electricity regulatory structure is becoming more decentralized, not more centralized. NERC announced in May that 15 states now control their electricity markets, meaning consumers in those states should direct complaints to their state electricity regulators.

This means a new national call centre would need to clarify its role in a more complicated regulatory system. Who owns the complaint? Who is responsible for resolving it? What happens when the deadline passes?

There is also an interesting irony in Tegbe’s announcement. He said the proposed call centre would create “sustainable job opportunities for our youth nationwide.” Will these jobs be contracts or part of the federal civil service? Either way, the power minister is not offering a real solution. It seems he is focusing on politics rather than the real benefits of reliable electricity access. Nigerians are tired of complaint centres and are clear about what they want: comfort.

Right now, Nigeria does not need the government to create jobs by expanding its administration. Nigeria needs the government to create conditions for businesses to create jobs on their own.

A working electricity market would allow manufacturers to spend less on diesel and generators. It would let small businesses invest more of their money in growth rather than alternative power sources. That is how electricity policy can become employment policy.

By connecting millions more people to reliable and affordable power, Tegbe can unlock benefits in healthcare, education, security, manufacturing, and more. He does not need to add “call centre” to his responsibilities.

Of course, just having electricity is not enough; it must be reliable, affordable, and consistent to have long-term social effects. The World Bank has made its position clear on Nigeria’s power sector. It says the power deficit is a major obstacle to productivity, highlighting the urgent need to close the metering gap and enforce strict penalties against underperforming DisCos.

These are the real structural challenges that need the minister’s full focus, not the creation of a national call centre.