For Niger State government it was a double win last week as it reported the domestication of the Nigeria Electricity Regulatory Commission law to break the monopoly of power supply in the state by the Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC) on the one hand.
On another hand, the green economy friendly government Thursday last week in Lagos at a groundbreaking pivotal event at the 2026 Green Conference organized by Greenplinth Africa signed a Memorandum of Agreements with Greenplinth Africa to deploy two million green cook stoves and to plant 100 million trees in Niger and Benue States.
Niger State was the second state after Benue to sign the agreement as part of the sub-national efforts to reduce carbon emissions, fight poverty and cardiovascular diseases arising from the use of biomass woods for cooking.
The state governor, Mohammed Umaru Bago, stated this penultimate weekend while addressing journalists on the power and water supply situations in the state that having domesticated the law, his administration has entered into a joint venture with partners to create a distribution company that would compete with AEDC as a rival in the electricity supply industry.
The electricity initiative, described as an important milestone in ending years of prolonged blackout across parts of the state, followed the deployment of solar mini-grids and other renewable energy solutions by the Niger State Government under Governor Mohammed Bago.
The pioneering breakthrough was praised by the Niger State Electricity Distribution Company, a subsidiary of Abuja Electricity Distribution Plc.
In a statement issued last Tuesday by its Head of Brand Marketing and Corporate Communications, Omede Odekina, the company saw the initiative as a major intervention in communities that had long remained outside the reach of a stable grid supply.
Major Transition in Progress
Aside rural settlements, the state government has also transitioned key public institutions, including Government House, the General Hospital, the IBB Specialist Hospital, the Niger State Water Board, and several ministries, departments and agencies, to independent solar systems.
The statement read, “The Niger Electricity Distribution Company, a subsidiary of the Abuja Electricity Distribution Plc, welcomes the commendable efforts by the Niger State Government, under the leadership of His Excellency, Farmer Governor Mohammed Umaru Bago, to deploy solar mini-grids and renewable energy solutions to previously unserved and underserved communities across the state.
“These initiatives, which include the provision of reliable 24-hour solar power to over 180 communities that had experienced no meaningful electricity supply for more than a decade, as well as the transition of critical public facilities, such as Government House, hospitals (including the General Hospital and IBB Specialist Hospital), the Niger State Water Board, and other MDAs, to independent solar systems, represent a significant step forward in addressing long-standing energy access challenges.”
Commenting on the development, the Managing Director of Abuja Electricity Distribution Plc, Chijioke Okwuokenye, said the state’s renewable push aligns with the decentralised electricity framework introduced under the Electricity Act 2023.
“We fully support the Niger State Government’s proactive approach to expanding access to reliable electricity through renewables.
“What we are seeing in Niger State is a practical example of how sub-national governments can take initiative while still working within the broader regulatory framework,” Okwuokenye said.
Also speaking, the Chief Business Officer and Acting Managing Director of NEDC, Sam Odekina, said the company was eager to work closely with the state government and the newly established Niger State Electricity Regulatory Commission to integrate mini-grids into the evolving state electricity market.
“The deployment of solar mini-grids in previously unserved areas aligns perfectly with our shared goal of inclusive electrification.
Relief to Communities
Many of the benefiting communities had reportedly experienced little to no stable electricity for more than 10 years, relying instead on diesel generators and other costly alternatives.
The state government’s intervention includes mini-grid projects in areas such as Lambata in Gurara Local Government Area, implemented in partnership with the Rural Electrification Agency and supported by international development partners.
The Electricity Act 2023 unbundled regulatory oversight, allowing states to establish their own electricity markets and regulators. Niger State subsequently established the Niger State Electricity Regulatory Commission and began domesticating key regulations to oversee intrastate electricity activities.
Under the new framework, distribution companies, such as NEDC operate within state-licensed regimes while aligning with national market standards.
Mini-grids and renewable systems are particularly suited to rural and semi-urban communities where extending the national grid may be economically unviable in the short term.
NEDC reiterated its commitment to exploring public-private partnerships, commercially viable grid extensions, and seamless integration of mini-grid projects under the state licensing regime.
For Niger State, the solar rollout signals a transition toward a diversified, multi-source electricity model designed to reduce dependence on fragile grid extensions.
Analysts have praised the commitment of Niger State to carbon emissions, green economy, renewable energy and constant electricity for its citizens.
Dr. Mohammed Abdullah, an energy expert said “Niger State government should be commended for these bold initiatives, a plan to give two million green cookstoves to indigent citizens and the laudable efforts which have electrified 180 communities.
Below are the details of the agreement between Niger State government and GreenPlinth Africa.
Details of the MoA are:
Deployment of two million cook stoves to two million beneficiaries in each of the states at no single cost to them; award of N10,000 to every benefiting household; free health insurance through the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS);
Planting of 100 million trees across the local government areas in the two States to mitigate deforestation and help create long-term income stability; and to create 13,000 green jobs, especially for the women and everyone willing to key in into the project in all the partnering states.
Recipients will also receive two stainless steel pots
Signing the Agreements, the President of Greenplinth Africa, Dr. Olawale Akinwunmi, supported by Alhaji Usman Besse, who directs the Northern Operations for Greenplinth Africa signed on behalf of the company while Niger State team was led by the Commissioner for Environment and Climate Change, Hon. Abubakar Musa, and Director General, Niger State Agency for Green Economy Initiatives, Dr. Daniel Habila Galadima.