Former Gombe State Governor and ex-Minister of Power and Steel, Senator Danjuma Goje, has stirred nationwide debate after proposing that Nigeria should allow China to manage the country’s electricity sector for 20 years to solve its long-standing power crisis.
Goje made the controversial recommendation during the Senate screening session of Joseph Olasunkanmi Tegbe, the minister-designate for power.
According to the senator, Nigeria’s repeated electricity reforms have failed to deliver stable power because governments continue to approach the sector in fragmented stages instead of adopting a wholesale restructuring strategy.
“The best thing to do, in my opinion and in the opinion of some others, is to swallow our pride,” Goje said while addressing lawmakers during the session.
He suggested that Nigeria should negotiate a long-term agreement with a major industrial nation — preferably China — to take over generation, transmission, and distribution of electricity nationwide.
According to him, China’s lower labour and execution costs make it a more practical option for handling such a massive infrastructure challenge.
“Give them this project of power in Nigeria: run it for 20 years, give us stable power, get your money back and move out,” Goje stated.
The senator argued that stable electricity would automatically unlock industrial growth, economic productivity, and national development across multiple sectors.
He maintained that Nigeria’s economic transformation remains impossible without solving the electricity crisis permanently.
Goje also criticised existing reform approaches that separate generation, transmission, and distribution projects.
Referencing previous partnerships such as the Siemens power project, he argued that fixing one part of the electricity chain often leads to problems emerging elsewhere within the system.
“But when you go to Siemens, Siemens will take one section of the power sector and do something about transmission.
By the time they finish transmission, the problem will erupt in generation,” he said.
The senator further lamented the condition of electricity distribution companies, accusing many of failing to provide even basic infrastructure such as transformers to consumers.
He advised the incoming power minister to consider negotiating a comprehensive international partnership capable of restructuring the entire electricity sector at once.
Nigeria has battled chronic electricity shortages for decades despite multiple reforms, privatisation efforts, and billions of dollars spent on power infrastructure.
Although the country has installed generation capacity exceeding 11,000 megawatts, actual electricity supply has consistently remained far below national demand due to infrastructure failures, gas shortages, transmission constraints, and distribution inefficiencies.
The situation has forced millions of homes and businesses to depend heavily on fuel-powered generators, significantly increasing operational costs across the economy.
Goje’s proposal has since generated mixed reactions online and within policy circles.
Supporters argue that Nigeria may need radical solutions to overcome decades of electricity sector failure.
Others, however, warn that handing over strategic national infrastructure to a foreign government or foreign-backed entities could raise serious national security, sovereignty, and economic concerns.
Energy analysts also note that the suggestion could face constitutional, regulatory, and political resistance due to the strategic importance of electricity infrastructure to national security and economic control.
Despite the controversy, the proposal has once again highlighted growing frustration over Nigeria’s inability to achieve stable electricity despite years of reforms and huge financial investments.
For many Nigerians, the debate reflects increasing public demand for bold and practical solutions capable of ending one of the country’s most persistent development challenges.