The House of Representatives Committee on Renewable Energy has directed the Inspector-General of Police, Abba Aliyu, to arrest the Managing Director of the Rural Electrification Agency (REA), Abba Aliyu, if he fails to appear before the panel on Wednesday at 11 a.m.
The order followed the agency’s repeated failure to honor invitations to explain the utilization of multi-million dollar grants and loans earmarked for rural electrification and renewable energy projects.
The directive was issued on Tuesday during an investigative hearing focused on the domiciliation of green energy projects, foreign grants, and investments received in the renewable energy sector from 2015 to date. The committee is also probing the deployment of renewable energy solutions across ministries, departments, and agencies.
Lawmakers expressed displeasure that the REA, as the lead implementing agency for off-grid electrification, was absent from the hearing despite being central to the inquiry.
Chairman of the committee, Afam Ogene, disclosed that formal invitations were sent to the agency on November 3, December 10, 2025, and February 4, 2026. According to him, the agency acknowledged receipt of the letters but failed to attend the sessions.
He described the development as unacceptable, stressing that the REA is responsible for managing substantial foreign grants and concessional loans aimed at expanding electricity access in underserved communities.
Among the funds cited by the committee are $550 million from the World Bank for rural electrification projects; N13 billion reportedly backed by the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission and other donors between 2015 and 2025; $8 million in 2022 from a German development corporation; and $12 million from South Korea between 2024 and 2025.
The panel also referenced a $750 million World Bank facility linked to support for 10,000 farmers, $5.9 million disbursed between 2022 and 2025 to enhance access to green energy, and $5 million from the Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet for agricultural electrification initiatives. Additional grants of $2.9 million spanning 2022 to 2026 were also highlighted.
The committee said the REA is expected to present a comprehensive breakdown of how the funds were utilized, the projects executed, and the beneficiaries.
“These are public resources meant to expand electricity access and promote renewable energy. The agency must account for how these funds have been managed and who has benefited,” Ogene stated.
This comes after Kayode Egbetokun was replaced by Olatunji Disu on Tuesday.
