The Nigerian Independent System Operator (NISO) has called for more accurate, data-driven and solution-oriented media reportage as part of broader efforts to strengthen transparency, public trust and investor confidence within Nigeria’s electricity sector.
The call was made by the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of NISO, Abdu Mohammed Bello, during a strategic media engagement with energy editors and correspondents drawn from print, broadcast and digital media organisations on Thursday.
Speaking during the session, Bello expressed concern over what he described as persistent misrepresentation and inaccurate interpretation of developments within the nation’s power ecosystem, warning that poor reportage has continued to undermine public confidence and distort understanding of ongoing reforms within the industry.
According to him, misinformation and poorly contextualized reporting not only “demarket” the power sector but also contribute significantly to widening trust gaps among consumers, investors, operators and policymakers.
While acknowledging the critical role of the media in shaping public discourse, the NISO boss noted that many of the reporting gaps identified over time may not necessarily be deliberate, but could stem from limited technical understanding of the highly complex and evolving electricity market structure by some journalists covering the sector.
He explained that the engagement was deliberately designed to foster stronger collaboration between NISO and the media through continuous knowledge sharing, sector education and timely access to verified information capable of improving the quality of energy reporting in Nigeria.
Bello stressed that the initiative would not end as a ceremonial interaction, but would evolve into a sustained institutional relationship aimed at promoting factual reporting, accountability and public trust in the electricity industry.
He further reaffirmed NISO’s commitment to delivering on its statutory mandate of ensuring reliability, operational efficiency and transparency in the administration of Nigeria’s electricity market.
According to him, the operator remains focused on strengthening system coordination across the electricity value chain while supporting reforms capable of driving growth, market confidence and improved service delivery.
The engagement also attracted critical stakeholders from across the sector, including representatives of electricity distribution companies, transmission entities and other industry operators.
Among the key resolutions reached at the parley was the decision to institutionalize quarterly engagements between NISO, journalists and industry stakeholders to improve information flow and deepen sector understanding among media practitioners.
The NISO management also pledged to ensure more responsive communication channels for journalists seeking clarifications or sector-specific data in the course of their reporting duties.
The Nigerian Independent System Operator emerged in 2023 following the implementation of the Electricity Act 2023, which restructured the former Transmission Company of Nigeria into two separate operational entities — NISO and the Transmission Service Provider (TSP) — as part of broader reforms aimed at modernizing and decentralizing Nigeria’s electricity market governance architecture.
