By O’Diakpo Obire
The Niger Delta Power Holding Company (NDPHC) was established in 2005 as a special-purpose vehicle jointly owned by the Federal, State and Local Governments of Nigeria. It serves as the implementing agency of the National Integrated Power Projects (NIPP), one of the country’s most ambitious power-sector interventions aimed at fast-tracking the expansion of electricity infrastructure nationwide.
NDPHC’s core mandate spans three critical areas:
Power Generation; developing, operating and maintaining NIPP power plants capable of adding multiple gigawatts of reliable generation capacity to the national grid.
Transmission Infrastructure: Constructing transmission lines, substations and evacuation facilities to ensure generated power moves efficiently from plants to the national grid.
Distribution Infrastructure: Delivering injection substations and distribution assets that strengthen electricity access for communities, industries and households.
Through these mandates, NDPHC was designed to close long-standing gaps in Nigeria’s electricity supply, optimise under-utilised assets, and provide the critical backbone required to stabilise the grid and energise economic growth.
It is against this backdrop that the leadership of Engr. Jennifer Adighije, appointed MD/CEO in August 2024, must be assessed.
Visible progress under the leadership of Engr. Jennifer Adighije includes the 625 MW of Recovered Capacity Added Back to the grid. Within her first year, NDPHC successfully restored and re-activated dormant turbine units across several NIPP power plants. These interventions collectively injected approximately 625 megawatts (MW) of additional capacity into the national grid, a significant boost at a time when Nigeria struggles to meet rising demand.
This recovery was not theoretical. It resulted from targeted maintenance, fast-tracked procurement, renewed vendor engagement and strengthened gas-supply coordination, all driven by tighter management oversight.
Another milestone of her administration is the rehabilitation of underperforming assets. Before August 2024, several NIPP power plants suffered from extremely low availability. Plants such as Ihovbor, Alaoji and Omotosho were operating far below technical potential, with availability factors reported in single digits.
Under Engr. Adighije’s stewardship, these plants saw aggressive turnaround actions: Restart of dormant turbine units, overhaul of critical components, restoration of stranded capacity and closer collaboration with gas suppliers and technical partners.
One outstanding example is the Ihovbor Power Plant, where output grew dramatically following the revival of previously idle units, providing a meaningful addition to national generation.
Adighije’s ability to improve governance, accountability and transparency is another success achieved within a short period in the history of the company. With a recurring challenge in public-sector generation companies is the absence of clear performance discipline.
The current NDPHC administration has introduced reforms including; clear departmental KPIs, quarterly performance reviews, strengthened monitoring and reporting frameworks and more transparent communication on operational challenges. These efforts have helped reposition NDPHC as a more structured and professionally run enterprise.
In realigning the company commercial model, Engr. Jennifer, recognised that electricity generation is meaningless without sustainable revenue recovery, her management-initiated reforms that include; exploring bilateral power sale agreements with eligible customers, strengthening commercial viability of assets, addressed liquidity challenges caused by huge market debts and started advocating for structural reforms in transmission capacity and gas supply. Such moves represent an important shift toward a more financially resilient NDPHC capable of sustaining its assets.
Engr. Adighije’s results have earned recognition across the energy sector and built stakeholders confidence, including awards and commendations from industry groups and civil society bodies. More important than the accolades is the renewed confidence among sector players, contractors, suppliers, regulators and partners, who now see NDPHC as an agency undergoing genuine transformation.
Though challenges are still ahead; to be clear, Nigeria’s power sector challenges remain deep; Transmission bottlenecks still prevent full evacuation of NDPHC’s capacity, gas supply constraints continue to limit optimal plant output, over ₦600 billion in accumulated debts owed to NDPHC strains its operations and the liquidity crisis within the electricity market remains unresolved.
Yet, NDPHC’s progress of the past year shows that with focused leadership, measurable improvements are possible.
In conclusion, as an intervention agency created to accelerate power development, NDPHC plays a crucial role in Nigeria’s economic aspirations. Under Engr. Under Jennifer Adighije’s leadership, the company has demonstrated commendable improvement, with 625 MW restored, idle assets revived, operational discipline strengthened and greater transparency introduced into public discourse.
These achievements, though early, are meaningful. They also set the foundation for deeper reforms, especially when aligned with government efforts to stabilise generation, expand transmission capacity and ensure more reliable electricity for Nigerians. If sustained, this momentum could help reposition NDPHC as a dependable pillar in Nigeria’s energy transition and national development.
