The Federal Government of Nigeria is developing a small-scale hydro policy to transform 21 idle dams discovered along the Sokoto-Badagry Expressway into active, commercial power generation projects. Speaking in Abuja at the launch of the Renewable Energy Asset Management Company, Minister of Power Joseph Tegbe explained that President Bola Tinubu directed the ministry to optimize these long-abandoned facilities, which came to light during ongoing highway construction. Rather than allowing existing infrastructure to sit underutilized, the plan aims to convert these assets to boost energy generation, redirect stranded power to high-demand industrial centers like Lagos, Kano, and Borno, and stabilize the national grid across core transmission corridors. Ongoing technical audits are currently evaluating aging equipment some of which has been in place for over four decades so that damaged components can be systematically replaced in the coming weeks. By retaining ownership of these assets to strengthen balance sheets for future financing, the government intends to expand transmission wheeling capacity to 8,000MW by 2027 while laying a reliable foundation for industrial growth and digital infrastructure.
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