By Abbas Nazil
A Professor of Energy Transitions, Extractives and Governance Law at the University of Lagos, Adedayo Ayoade, has proposed the creation of a Federal Ministry of Energy and Climate Change Transitions to unify Nigeria’s petroleum, natural gas, electricity, renewable energy and climate change sectors under one coordinated institutional framework.
Ayoade said the proposed ministry would improve policy coordination, strengthen accountability and reduce the cost of governance by bringing together responsibilities currently shared among different ministries, departments and agencies.
He made the recommendation during his inaugural lecture titled “Through the Lens of Tomorrow: Rethinking Nigeria’s Path to Sustainable Energy Governance,” where he outlined reforms aimed at improving the management of the country’s energy resources and advancing a more sustainable energy transition.
According to the professor, Nigeria needs an integrated governance structure supported by a national policy, dedicated legislation and a specialised agency to coordinate energy and climate change activities.
He proposed the adoption of a Nigerian Energy and Climate Change Transitions Policy, the enactment of a Nigerian Energy and Climate Change Transitions Act and the establishment of a Nigerian Energy and Climate Change Transitions Agency.
Ayoade argued that the existing fragmentation of responsibilities among government institutions had created coordination challenges, making it difficult to align energy development with national climate change objectives.
He maintained that bringing the different sectors under one ministry would provide a more coherent approach to energy planning, regulation and implementation while improving the government’s ability to respond to emerging challenges in the transition towards sustainable energy.
Beyond institutional restructuring, the don called for stronger monitoring and accountability mechanisms to ensure that public institutions and private operators comply with relevant laws, regulations, licences and contractual obligations.
He recommended establishing a Sustainable Energy Transitions Governance Monitoring Directorate within the Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative, a move he said would require an amendment to the NEITI Act 2007.
The proposed directorate would strengthen independent oversight of energy and climate governance and help address weaknesses in the implementation of existing regulatory requirements.
Ayoade also advocated tougher sanctions against public officials who violate governance rules, alongside transparent and merit-based appointments of qualified professionals to leadership positions in energy and climate-related institutions.
He further recommended deploying artificial intelligence to monitor compliance across the energy sector, explaining that AI-powered systems could improve regulatory oversight through more effective reporting, monitoring and enforcement.
According to him, the technology could help authorities track compliance with legal requirements and contractual obligations across government institutions and energy operators, potentially strengthening transparency and reducing opportunities for misconduct.
The professor also called for the inclusion of anti-corruption and integrity provisions in energy-sector contracts, with clear prohibitions against bribery, corruption, conflicts of interest and other unethical practices.
On community participation, Ayoade urged Nigeria to incorporate the principle of free, prior and informed consent into national law to ensure that host communities are involved in decisions concerning energy projects that affect their territories and livelihoods.
He argued that sustainable energy governance must go beyond the management of petroleum and natural gas resources to include electricity, renewable energy development and climate change considerations within a unified policy framework.
The professor stressed that the ultimate measure of energy-sector reform should be the provision of affordable and reliable energy to all Nigerians, regardless of whether they live in urban or rural communities.
He described access to dependable and affordable energy as a minimum requirement for development and a modern society.
Ayoade also called for constitutional reforms to recognise cooperative ownership and sustainable energy governance as foundational principles of Nigeria’s energy sector.
He maintained that achieving the proposed reforms would require comprehensive legal and regulatory changes, stronger institutions, effective accountability and sustained political commitment from the government and other stakeholders.
