The Niger Delta Power Holding Company (NDPHC) was incorporated under the Companies and Allied Matters Act as a private company. It is fully subscribed to by all the levels of government and is charged with the management of Nigeria’s power projects. Its mandate is to carry out the National Integrated Power Project (NIPP) aimed at integrating all the elements that make up power, including fuel, gas, water, biomass towards the generation, transmission, and distribution of power across Nigeria. This is as important as the obvious statement that “the quantum of power a nation has determines its growth potential”.
The NDPHC has been at the forefront of Nigeria’s power sector transformation, and its current administration under Mrs Adighije has played a vital role in its success.
The Nigerian power sector faced several significant challenges which amounted to frequent power outages and limited electricity access. Amongst the reforms aimed at addressing these issues is the privatization of generation and distribution companies through which the NDPHC was established. The Niger Delta Power Holding Company (NDPHC) was incorporated by the Federal government as a private limited liability company in 2005 to manage the National Integrated
Power Project (NIPP). The NIPP was created to address Nigeria’s power shortage. In furtherance of its mandate, the NDPHC currently manages 10 power generation plants alongside several gas assets and stations across strategic locations in the country. Well-planned transmission and distribution projects have also been implemented to fully activate the NIPP.
NDPHC faces numerous challenges in its quest to achieve its mission such as inadequate funding, transmission infrastructure constraints, and gas supply shortages. Additionally, the company struggles with debt recovery, limiting its ability to invest in new projects. Regulatory frameworks and policy inconsistencies also hinder NDPHC’s operations. Furthermore, security concerns and community relations issues in the Niger Delta region pose significant challenges to the company’s activities. To address these challenges, NDPHC has intensified debt recovery, secured off-takers for stranded energy, strengthened its regulatory compliance, educated contractors on their delivery obligations, and considered forming a special paramilitary unit to tackle vandals.
In spite of these challenges, the NDPHC has recently racked up a good score of achievements under the direction of Engr Jennifer Adighije. She was appointed to the office of Managing Director/CEO in August 2024. Not long into her administration, NDPHC added 200 MW to the national grid, which increased Nigeria’s generation capacity by 16.4%, thereby increasing energy access by 5%. On 4th December 2024, Engr Adighije took to her instagram platform to express her enthusiasm for the position having completed 100 days in office as MD/CEO. She announced that NDPHC secured board approval for a management incentive for staff to help with the effects of fuel subsidy removal. The company also converted third-party contract staff to direct hires across the power plants.
In January 2025, NDPHC restored two turbine units at the Ihovbor Power Plant in Benin City. This added a huge 230 MW to the national power grid. In addition to these, Engr Jennifer’s administration of the NDPHC continues to demonstrate its efficiency by introducing innovative solutions and strategic partnerships to continue to advance the company’s mandate. NDPHC launched the solar homes systems program through which over 20,000 homes within the off-grid communities in the north gained access to electricity. It also introduced energy efficiency solutions to reduce energy consumption and losses in the power sector.
New partnerships were also forged with world-class companies; General Electric and Siemens (a German company), aimed at developing comprehensive plans to improve the efficiency and reliability of the power grid. Also, these partnerships will greatly influence the creation of a roadmap for the further development of the Nigerian power sector.
In view of this, it is clear that the NDPHC under the management of Engr Jennifer Adighije has made significant strides towards providing stable and consistent power supply to Nigeria.
Hence, it is made conclusive that the NDPHC will continue to take unpredictable giant steps towards being the electrifying powerhouse behind all-round progress and development in Nigeria’s Industrial cum economic sector. This becomes more definite as the recent administrative excellence of the tireless Engr Adighije is only just starting out.
Deborah Anyanwu is a member of the editorial team of TheScript Newspapers.
