By Bassey Udo
Gombe State government has announced the appointment of the Chairmen for the newly established Gombe State Electricity Regulatory Commission (GOSERC) and the Gombe State Information Technology and Digital Economy Commission (GIDTEC).
The new appointees are Dr Usman Abba Arabi for GOSERC) and Al-Amin Umar Barambu for GIDTEC.
The Secretary to the State Government, Professor Ibrahim Abubakar Njodi, who announced the appointments said the state governor, Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya, has directed that the duo should assume office on January 2 as part of efforts to strengthen regulation, drive innovation and deepen economic transformation in the state.
The governor charged the newly appointed chairmen to bring to bear their track record of service, professionalism and integrity in building strong, responsive and results-oriented institutions that would accelerate development and deliver tangible benefits to the people of Gombe State.
Both Arabi and Barambu are bringing vast and relevant expertise required to effectively drive the mandates of the newly established commissions.
Njodi said the establishment of the two Commissions and the appointment of the Chairmen followed the governor’s assent to the bills establishing them, thereby giving them full legal backing to operate.
The Director-General, (Press Affairs), Government House, Gombe, Ismaila Uba Misilli, said the creation of GOSERC was in line with the governor’s powers under the power sector reform agenda, particularly in leveraging the opportunities provided by the Electricity Act 2023 to strengthen electricity regulation, improve service delivery, attract investment and expand access to reliable power supply across Gombe State.
With the establishment of GOSERC, Gombe State joins at least 13 other states in the Federation that have already taken steps to take charge and control of the regulation of their electricity sector under the provisions of the Electricity Act 2023.
Although under the Act the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC), the apex regulatory authority in the country’s power sector, would still oversee the national grid, the state electricity regulatory commissions have been ceded the powers to oversight intra-state markets, particularly in terms of licensing, tariffs administration and consumer protection.
The Act empowers states to create their own laws for electricity, moving away from the existing centralized federal control.
