Tinubu's quiet repairs: Oil, power and the human face of reform
In the complex machinery of governance, there are moments when a single decision quietly removes a stubborn obstacle that has stood in the way of national progress for years. Such
In the complex machinery of governance, there are moments when a single decision quietly removes a stubborn obstacle that has stood in the way of national progress for years. Such moments rarely produce the noise of political drama, yet they often alter the trajectory of a nation's economy. Last week offered one of those moments.
On Thursday, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu personally oversaw the resolution of one of the most protracted disputes in Nigeria's oil and gas history, the 15-year stalemate surrounding Oil Prospecting Licence (OPL) 245. The settlement agreement reached between the Federal Government, ENI and Nigerian Agip Exploration Limited (NAEL) formally ends a legal and commercial uncertainty that had long hung over one of Nigeria's most promising deepwater oil assets.
With the dispute finally laid to rest, attention now shifts to the Zabazaba–Etan development project, a major offshore investment expected to add about 150,000 barrels per day to Nigeria's crude oil production when fully operational.
Yet the significance of the moment extends beyond the numbers. The OPL 245 resolution illustrates a consistent pattern in Tinubu's approach to governance: identify the bottlenecks restraining Nigeria's productive capacity and move deliberately to dismantle them.
For more than a decade, the dispute had represented a lingering legal risk within Nigeria's upstream sector, discouraging large-scale investment and leaving billions of dollars in potential revenue untapped. By bringing the parties together and facilitating a final settlement, Tinubu signalled that the Nigerian state is prepared to confront legacy complications head-on.
“This resolution sends a clear signal to global investors that Nigeria is prepared to address legacy issues transparently and create a stable environment for long-term capital,” the President said after the agreement was concluded.
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The importance of that message cannot be overstated.
Oil and gas remain Nigeria's most significant source of foreign exchange earnings and government revenue. Yet for decades the sector struggled under the weight of regulatory uncertainty, infrastructural deficiencies and prolonged disputes over licences and contracts.
Since assuming office, Tinubu has repeatedly demonstrated a determination to change that narrative.
One of the most consequential interventions came in February 2026 when the President signed an executive order mandating the direct remittance of oil and gas revenues into the Federation Account. The directive requires that all government entitlements arising from production sharing contracts, including royalty oil, tax oil, profit oil and profit gas, be paid directly into the constitutionally recognised account shared by the federal, state and local governments.
For years, portions of these revenues had been trapped within overlapping administrative arrangements that allowed leakages and delayed remittances. By restoring direct payments into the Federation Account, the order reaffirmed the constitutional principle that Nigeria's oil wealth belongs first to the Federation before any subsequent distribution.
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Beyond its technical implications, the reform sought to strengthen transparency, eliminate wasteful intermediary structures and ensure that oil revenues are distributed fairly among the tiers of government.
Another area where the President has invested personal attention is the long-standing dispute surrounding oil production in Ogoniland, where extraction has been suspended since 1993 following environmental concerns and community protests.
Recognising the enormous economic implications of the prolonged shutdown, Tinubu has been leading efforts aimed at reopening dialogue and creating conditions for the eventual resumption of production in the region.
In January 2025 he met with Ogoni leaders at the State House, urging stakeholders to pursue reconciliation that balances environmental restoration, community development and economic opportunity.
By September 2025, the process had advanced further when the President received the Ogoni Dialogue Report and directed the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, to broaden engagement with all stakeholders in preparation for the resumption of oil production.
By October, consultations had reached what the administration described as an advanced stage, with negotiations continuing toward a lasting settlement.
Unlike the OPL 245 dispute, the Ogoni issue remains a work in progress. Yet the direction of policy is unmistakable: unlock Nigeria's dormant assets while pursuing reconciliation with host communities.
The strategic importance of resolving the dispute is further underscored by developments in export infrastructure. The Otakikpo Crude Oil Export Terminal, commissioned in October 2025 after an investment exceeding $400 million, is expected to serve as a key evacuation route for crude from the region once production resumes.
Taken together, these actions reveal a consistent strategy, ensuring that Nigeria's oil sector functions as a productive national asset capable of sustaining economic growth and strengthening the Federation's financial foundation.
If the OPL 245 settlement addressed one pillar of Nigeria's economic architecture, another intervention followed just a day earlier in the power sector.
At the Federal Executive Council meeting on Wednesday, the President introduced a proposal for the establishment of a Grid Asset Management Company (GAMCO), an initiative designed to address one of the most persistent structural weaknesses in Nigeria's electricity system.
Nigeria's power sector operates through three segments; generation, transmission and distribution, yet the transmission arm has long remained the weakest link.
Electricity can be generated, and distribution companies can deliver it to consumers, but the national grid often lacks the capacity to evacuate generated power effectively.
The result has been the recurring phenomenon of stranded generation, electricity that could have powered homes and industries but remains unused because the grid cannot carry it.
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Tinubu's GAMCO proposal seeks to tackle this problem directly by creating a government-owned commercial entity dedicated to strengthening and expanding the national transmission infrastructure.
The urgency attached to the initiative became evident almost immediately. Barely two days after presenting the proposal at FEC, an eleven-member committee, chaired by Chief of Staff Femi Gbajabiamila, was inaugurated to design the operational framework for the company.
The panel has been tasked with examining the legal, financial and regulatory structures necessary for the company to operate effectively and ensure that Nigeria's grid finally matches the country's generation capacity.
But governance is not only about large structural reforms. Sometimes leadership reveals itself in smaller decisions that demonstrate attentiveness to the everyday experiences of citizens.
One such moment came during the same Federal Executive Council meeting when Tinubu ordered the suspension of the newly introduced cashless payment system at airport toll gates.
The policy had been designed to eliminate corruption and improve revenue collection by replacing cash transactions. However, shortly after its introduction it began creating severe congestion around airport entrances, causing travellers to miss flights.
Faced with reports of hardship, the President directed that the system be temporarily suspended while authorities perfect a more efficient electronic solution. For now, a hybrid arrangement allowing both cash payments and prepaid FAAN cards has been introduced.
Taken together, the week's events, again, reveal the operating philosophy of the Tinubu Presidency, a quiet but deliberate effort to repair the structures that shape Nigeria's economy and daily life.The repairs may not always be dramatic, but week by week they are steadily reshaping the foundations of the Nigerian system.
Yet the week's rhythm of governance did not end with oil, power or airport policy. Around those major interventions ran a series of other decisions and engagements that together revealed the broader sweep of the administration's priorities.
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On Monday, the Nigeria Police Council, chaired by President Tinubu and comprising the 36 state governors, the Chairman of the Police Service Commission and the Inspector-General of Police, unanimously approved the appointment of Olatunji Disu as the 23rd Inspector-General of Police. The decision, reached in less than thirty minutes at the Council Chamber of the State House, signalled a fresh chapter in the leadership of the nation's police architecture.
By Wednesday, the President formally swore in Disu at the State House before the Federal Executive Council meeting commenced, placing the responsibility of leading the police force at a time when the country continues to confront banditry, terrorism and other forms of criminality. The ceremony also witnessed the swearing-in of new members of the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission and the Federal Civil Service Commission, reinforcing the administration's steady renewal of key public institutions.
Security matters themselves were never far from the President's desk. Following the terrorist attack on Ngoshe in Gwoza Local Government Area of Borno State, Tinubu directed the armed forces and other security agencies to urgently rescue abducted residents and intensify operations against insurgent groups in the North-East.
Later in the week, while hosting members of the armed forces and other security agencies to an interfaith breaking of fast at the State House, the President again struck a tone of resolve, assuring Nigerians that terrorism and banditry would ultimately be defeated. “We will win. Nigeria will prevail,” he said.
Elsewhere, the week also carried gestures of diplomacy, governance continuity and national recognition.
Tinubu approved the posting of 65 ambassadors; 31 non-career and 34 career diplomats, to Nigeria's foreign missions and the United Nations, directing the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to begin their induction immediately. The move marked a significant step in strengthening Nigeria's diplomatic presence abroad.
He also nominated Taiwo Oyedele, chairman of the Presidential Committee on Fiscal Policy and Tax Reforms, as Minister of State for Finance, while redeploying Doris Uzoka-Anite to the Ministry of Budget and National Planning as minister of state.
Beyond policy and appointments, the President's engagements reflected moments of national reflection. He congratulated former President Olusegun Obasanjo on his 89th birthday, celebrated Pastor Enoch Adeboye at 84, and paid tribute to Alhaja Lateefat Gbajabiamila at 96, recognising the influence of individuals whose lives have shaped Nigeria's social and civic landscape.
Together, these quieter moments completed a week that once again illustrated the operating tempo of the Tinubu Presidency, a steady mixture of structural reform, institutional renewal and the human gestures that accompany leadership in a nation as complex as Nigeria.
