…Strong Operational Gains, Asset Recovery Boost Ministerial Role Chances
…Presidency Weighs Technocrat-Led Options Amid Push For Improved Power Supply
Barring any unforeseen circumstances, the Managing Director of the Niger Delta Power Holding Company (NDPHC), Jennifer Adighije, may be announced as the replacement for Chief Adebayo Adelabu, who resigned his appointment as the Minister of Power, NewsNGR can exclusively report.
Adelabu had on April 22, 2025, resigned his appointment to contest the Oyo State governorship election.
While there has been no official confirmation from the Presidency, multiple insider sources told NewsNGR that Adighije’s name has gained traction in recent weeks.
This, they attributed, to her background as a technocrat and hands-on experience in the power sector.
An insider said she could be considered to fill the vacant ministerial slot from Abia State, following the vacuum created by Nkeiruka Onyejeocha who resigned from President Bola Tinubu’s cabinet.
Onyejeocha, who is from Abia State, served as the Minister of State for Labour and Employment, but resigned in early April 2026 to pursue a political return to the National Assembly.
Born on April 15, 1983, Adighije holds a B.Sc. in electrical and electronics engineering from the University of Lagos, with an M.Sc. in wireless networks and telecommunications from Queen Mary University of London.
She is also armed with an MPhil from the Catholic University of Murcia, Spain, in 2025.
A source from the Presidency told NewsNGR that President Bola Tinubu may go for her because of her professional experience, adding that she had previously worked as a transmission maintenance engineer at the defunct Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN).
“The President we all know doesn’t play with experience. He usually goes for the best, and this time, he may not go for a novice or someone who is a politician without the right expertise. He wants the best to drive his agenda in the power sector. It is on this premise that Engr Adighije stands the better chance of succeeding Chief Adebayo Adelabu as the new Minister of Power,” the source said.
Speaking about her capacity to succeed Adelabu, a senior staff member of the power ministry who spoke to NewsNGR on condition of anonymity, said Adighije, who was appointed by the President in August 2023, is a technocrat.
“The NDPHC MD is well experienced having worked at Globacom as an NSS specialist, then as head of operations. From 2018–2023, she served as a value engineer and cost controller at the Central Bank of Nigeria’s procurement department, followed by Senior Special Assistant to President Tinubu on entrepreneurship in communications, innovation, and digital economy.
“Under her leadership since 2024, NDPHC restored about 750 MW of generation capacity, recovered 110 abandoned containers of turbine parts, and completed projects like the Afam–Ikot Ekpene 330kV transmission line and Light Up Nigeria – Agbara cluster.
“She also secured over $10m in legacy debts and $15m in insurance claims, converted 180 contract staff to permanent roles, and added 625 MW to Nigeria’s grid in her first year,” the source said.
The source continued: “Under her leadership, the company has focused on reviving dormant generation capacity, improving financial health, and strengthening governance in Nigeria’s power-sector value chain.
“Her team has restored multiple turbines at key NDPHC power plants, including two turbines at the Ihovbor Power Plant, adding about 230 MW to the national grid; overall, NDPHC has added approximately 625 MW to Nigeria’s electricity supply under her watch.”
The NDPHC has also deepened focus on the National Integrated Power Project (NIPP), advancing Phase II with an emphasis on renewable–energy-linked transmission and distribution assets.
The source said, “Infrastructure and special-purpose projects NDPHC completed key transmission and distribution projects in Borno and Delta States, including the Afam–Ikot Ekpene 330 kV double-circuit transmission line, which improves grid stability in the South–South.
“She initiated the ‘Light Up Nigeria – Agbara Industrial Cluster’ project to connect the Agbara Industrial Estate to the grid, and a 10 MW embedded solar project in an industrial area in Kano to support off-grid power needs for manufacturers.
“Adighije’s management rescued over 110–120 containers of critical turbine parts and heat-recovery steam-generator (HRSG) components that had been abandoned at Onne Port for more than nine years, reducing replacement-cost burdens for the company.”
Setting the agenda for the incoming Power Minister, the Executive Secretary of the Power and Energy Consumers Advocates of Nigeria (PECAN), Comrade Uket Obonga, said the new appointee should extract a commitment from the President before accepting the offer, adding that without Tinubu’s support, the new minister may find it difficult to deliver.
He said, “The person who has the capacity and the ability to give definitive instructions that I want for the power sector is Mr President. Even if you appoint every person who has all the necessary competencies and so forth, the final say ultimately rests with the President.
“For instance, the government has not really stamped its feet. No government so far, from Buhari we thought initially who came in May 2015, we thought late President Buhari was going to effect certain reforms in the power sector.
“But they lacked the political will and the courage to go about doing that. That was not done. So what is required in the power sector is a comprehensive review. What I mean by review of the entire privatisation exercise does not imply that I want it cancelled.
“The privatisation listing was supposed to be reviewed within five years and 10 years. But nothing of such was done. No government since Buhari to this point has warmed up to the proposal to do that.
“Ownership today of some of these privatisation entities that are in the hands or owned by those who have entrenched interests, those who are connected to the government in power.
“So what is a minister coming to do in the face of such a situation? To undervalue the equity shares of some of these Discos? The Discos that undervalue the shares at N15bn, meanwhile are raking between N25bn and N30bn every month.
“A minister can come and stamp his feet and pay a small sum. When they say he who pays the piper, dictates the tune. If we can have a minister who will be bold enough to tell Mr President the truth and it will work.”
