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By Ayo Kehinde
President Bola Tinubu has appointed former KPMG Africa executive, Joseph Olasunkanmi Tegbe, as the new Energy Minister, subject to confirmation by the Senate.
A statement signed on Thursday by Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, revealed that the nomination, forwarded to the Senate, is in line with constitutional requirements.
The appointment follows the resignation of former Energy Minister, Adebayo Adelabu, who stepped down from office to take up an elective position ahead of the 2027 political cycle.
The Presidency described Tegbe as a highly experienced fiscal and economic reform expert with over 35 years of professional experience in the public and private sectors.
Hailing from Oyo State, Tegbe previously served as Senior Partner and Head of Advisory Services at KPMG Africa, where he led major initiatives focused on tax policy reforms, institutional transformation, governance restructuring and strategic investment advisory.
During his years in the consulting industry, he has worked extensively with government institutions and private sector organizations on economic reforms, regulatory frameworks and investment structuring to improve institutional efficiency and sustainable growth.
The Presidency further noted that Tegbe currently serves as Director General and Global Liaison for the Nigeria-China Strategic Partnership (NCSP), where he coordinates bilateral development cooperation between Nigeria and the People’s Republic of China.
In this role, he is responsible for facilitating engagements between Nigerian public institutions and Chinese stakeholders in areas critical to economic growth, infrastructure development and industrial cooperation.
According to the statement, the NCSP also coordinates partnerships and development initiatives in line with the objectives of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC), particularly in strategic sectors such as infrastructure, energy, manufacturing and economic development.
The Presidency highlighted Tegbe’s previous commitments to Nigeria’s energy sector, particularly in the areas of regulatory and institutional reforms involving agencies such as the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission and the Nigerian Bulk Electricity Trading Company.
President Tinubu expects the minister-designate to bring his vast experience to bear in pushing forward the ongoing reforms in the country’s electricity sector.
Nigeria’s power sector continued to face major challenges, including inadequate generation, weak transmission infrastructure, recurring national grid collapses, liquidity constraints and insufficient investment across the electricity value chain.
However, the Tinubu administration has repeatedly pledged to address these challenges through reforms aimed at improving generation capacity, expanding transmission infrastructure, strengthening distribution networks, and attracting both local and foreign investment in the sector.
If confirmed by the Senate, Tegbe is expected to oversee ongoing reforms aimed at improving grid stability, increasing regulatory efficiency, boosting investor confidence and ensuring a more reliable electricity supply for Nigerians.
The Presidency said President Tinubu was confident that the minister-designate’s vast experience in economic management, governance reform and institutional development would help deliver better outcomes in the energy sector and support broader national economic growth objectives.
