Former Chairman of the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission, Sam Amadi, has cautioned against hasty moves to amend the Electricity Act 2023, warning that such an action could derail the progress made in building a stable and competitive electricity market.

Amadi spoke as a guest speaker at the 10th anniversary celebration of the Association of Power Generation Companies of Nigeria, held on Monday in Abuja.

The event, themed “A Decade of Powering Progress, Driving Nigeria’s Energy Transformation,” brought together key stakeholders from across the power sector to reflect on achievements and challenges over the past decade, particularly from the perspective of power generation companies.

Amadi, who served as NERC Chairman between 2010 and 2015, said the sector must first allow existing reforms to take root before contemplating any legislative review.

“I don’t think there’s any need to amend the Electricity Act at this stage. We are too quick to tear down what we have built before giving it time to mature. Amendments should come from trial, with evidence and reviews. Let us develop the resilience and patience to work through problems rather than constantly changing models, institutions, and laws.”

The former NERC boss, who oversaw part of Nigeria’s power sector reforms during the early years of privatisation, said the country must learn to sustain policies long enough to identify genuine structural weaknesses.

He recalled that during his tenure, he resisted calls to amend the Electric Power Sector Reform Act of 2005, arguing that the sector needed at least 15 years of steady implementation to justify any legislative change.

“When I was chairman, and they wanted to amend the Electricity Act, I said no. We needed time to test the law and understand its practical implications. Now, some of the provisions of the new Electricity Act have not even been implemented, yet people are calling for amendments. What exactly are we amending?”