The Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, has assured Nigerians that lawmakers are not in the Senate to make money as people think.

Senator Akpabio said the lawmakers are in the Red Chamber to make sacrifices for future generations in the country.

As reported by Daily Trust, Akpabio stated this during Wednesday's plenary while contributing to a debate on the general principles of the bill for an Act to amend the Electricity Act, 2023.

The bill was sponsored by the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Power, Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe, representing the Abia South senatorial district. According to Akpabio, without electricity, there will be no industrial growth in the country.

The former Akwa Ibom state governor stressed that everyone is looking forward to a total overhaul of the electricity sector in the country.

“People think we are here in the Senate to make money, not knowing that we are here to sacrifice for future generations.”

Speaking on the general principle of the bill, Senator Abaribe said: “The primary objective of this bill is to address critical issues that have emerged since the implementation of the EA, 2023.”

The All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) senator explained that the bill specifically seeks to introduce provisions that will enhance policy and regulatory coordination between national and sub-national governments to avoid legal disputes and inconsistencies, among others.

Akpabio referred the bill to the Committee on Power for further legislative action after scaling second reading on the floor of the Senate. The committee is to report back to plenary in six weeks time.

The Electricity Act, 2023

It was gathered that the bill, if amended, passed and signed into law, would clarify ongoing transitional provisions for the transfer of intrastate electricity matters from the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) to state governments, among others.

Bill allowing states to take charge of electricity

Recall that the Federal Republic of Nigeria took a bold step towards energy reform by decentralising its power sector.

With the signing of the Electricity Amendment Bill, states can now generate, transmit, and distribute electricity independently. This new law promises greater energy access, private investment, and a boost for renewable power nationwide.