Senator Danjuma Goje has proposed that Nigeria hand over the management of its electricity sector to China or another advanced country for 20 years in order to achieve stable power supply.
Goje, who represents Gombe Central and is a former minister of power and steel, made the suggestion during the senate screening of Joseph Tegbe, minister-designate for power.
According to the senator, Nigeria should stop implementing fragmented reforms and instead adopt a comprehensive agreement covering electricity generation, transmission, and distribution.
“The best thing to do, in my opinion, is to swallow our pride and invite a successful country, preferably China, to run Nigeria’s power sector for 20 years,” Goje said.
“Give them the project, let them stabilise electricity, recover their money, and leave.”
He argued that stable electricity would transform Nigeria’s economy and improve development across all sectors.
Goje criticised previous reforms in the sector, including projects focused only on transmission or generation, saying problems simply shift from one area to another without solving the overall crisis.
He also lamented the poor performance of electricity distribution companies, noting that many Nigerians now buy transformers for their communities themselves.
The lawmaker urged Tegbe to consider negotiating a wholesale arrangement with China or another foreign partner capable of overhauling the entire power sector.
According to him, such an arrangement should not be seen as debt because the foreign partner would operate the sector, recover its investment, and eventually hand over a stable electricity system to Nigeria.
“We are already used to taking debts. This is not debt. They will run the business, make their money, and leave us with stable power,” Goje added.
The proposal has sparked fresh debate about the future of Nigeria’s struggling electricity sector and the role foreign countries could play in fixing it.
