A major clash has erupted in the House of Representatives following moves by the House Committee on the National Rural Electrification Agency to halt an ongoing investigative hearing by the House Committee on Renewable Energy into renewable energy projects, funding, and programme implementation by the Rural Electrification Agency since 2015.

Documents obtained exclusively by Daily Sun show that the REA Committee has formally written to the Renewable Energy Committee, urging it to suspend its probe, arguing that the investigation falls squarely within its statutory oversight mandate. In the letter dated February 25, 2026, and addressed to the Chairman of the House Committee on Renewable Energy through the Office of the Speaker, the REA Committee chairman, Hon. Mohammed Bukar Ibrahim, acknowledged the investigative hearing but said it had become aware that the committee had commenced inquiries “touching on the activities, financing, and programme implementation of the Rural Electrification Agency, including matters relating to grants, loans, and project domiciliation from 2015 to date.”

While recognising the importance of legislative oversight, the committee insisted that it was “already undertaking a comprehensive review and oversight of the same subject areas, specifically the utilisation of funds, project delivery, institutional performance, and compliance within the Agency’s operations.” It warned that parallel probes could result in “duplication of legislative activity, potential procedural conflicts, and avoidable administrative strain on the Agency and other stakeholders,” adding that “in the interest of coherence, institutional clarity, and the efficient exercise of the House’s oversight responsibilities,” matters directly relating to the REA should be coordinated through its committee.

In a direct appeal, the committee requested that the Renewable Energy Committee “stay further proceedings as they relate specifically to the REA and await the outcome of the ongoing work and findings of the House Committee on REA,” promising that “upon conclusion, our Committee will formally brief the leadership of the House and relevant Committees, including yours, to ensure alignment and informed legislative action.” It argued that the approach would “reinforce coordination within the House, prevent duplication, and preserve the integrity of the oversight process while ensuring that all concerns are addressed in a structured and institutionally appropriate manner.”

However, the Renewable Energy Committee pushed back, insisting that it is acting on a direct resolution of the House and constitutional authority. In a letter dated February 26 titled Re: Ongoing investigation into renewable energy projects and activities of the Rural Electrification, REA, and signed by its chairman, Hon Afam Victor Ogene, it noted that the subject matter of the REA Committee’s letter was “misleading and suggests a little understanding of the Resolutions of the House, which necessitated the investigations in the first instance.”

It further stated, “The Investigative Hearing is not about the ‘activities of the Rural Electrification Agency,’ but investigations backed by the resolutions of the House as follows: Investigation of the domiciliation of the Green Energy projects with inappropriate entities to avert substandard implementation and loss of values; the investigation of renewable energy sector and foreign grants received from 2015 till date and need for utilisation of renewable energy in ministries, departments and agencies of the Federal Government.

“For clarity, please note that these mandates are within the jurisdiction of the House Committee on Renewable Energy as contained in the Standing Orders of the House of Representatives ( Eleventh Edition), which states, on page 231, thus:

“There shall be a committee to be known as the Committee on Renewable Energy constituted at the commencement of the life of the House.”

He added that among others, the committee’s jurisdiction as conferred by the House shall cover

oversight over “all departments and agencies concerned with renewable energy.”

Ogene added, “We consider this request as an affront to the resolution of the House and the mandate and jurisdiction of the House Committee on Renewable Energy. The Committee on Renewable Energy has neither embarked on a fishing expedition nor has it, by any stretch of the imagination, sought to oversight the Rural Electrification Agency – which is why issues bordering on the Agency’s personnel costs, overhead expenditure and core capital projects are not under scrutiny in the current Investigative Hearing.

“It is, indeed, the considered opinion of the Committee on Renewable Energy, that such practices of rushing to shield MDAs from accountability on account of any considerations, attract disrespect to the institution of the Legislature and undermine the integrity of legislative processes and should be discouraged.

“For the above reasons, I wish to inform you that the Committee is dismayed by this ill-advised intrusion into an assignment duly thrust upon it by the entire House of Representatives, and accordingly, hereby decline your request.”

In its invitation letter to the managing director and chief executive officer of the REA, the committee cited the resolution adopted by the House on October 22, 2025, mandating it to investigate the domiciliation of green and renewable energy projects across Ministries, Departments and Agencies. Relying on Sections 62, 88 and 89 of the 1999 Constitution as amended, the committee said it was conducting “a comprehensive audit of renewable energy interventions under the Rural Electrification Agency, particularly those implemented under the Energising Education Programme Phases I, II, and III.”

“To ensure accuracy and completeness of this investigation, the Committee hereby invites all contractors and developers engaged in EEP Phase I–III projects to present themselves with full project documentation before the Committee,” the letter stated, adding that the exercise was aimed at establishing compliance with due process and procurement standards, verifying project execution quality and sustainability readiness, and preventing loss of value and recurrence of underperforming renewable assets.

The probe targets some of the country’s most high-profile solar hybrid projects located in federal universities and teaching hospitals nationwide. Under Phase I, the projects include installations at Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University and Teaching Hospital in Bauchi, Bayero University Kano, Federal University of Agriculture Makurdi in Benue, Federal University of Petroleum Resources Effurun in Delta, Federal University Ndufu-Alike Ikwo in Ebonyi, Nnamdi Azikiwe University in Anambra, and Usman Danfodiyo University in Sokoto. Phase II extends to the University of Abuja.

Others are the Nigeria Defence Academy Kaduna, Michael Okpara University of Agriculture Umudike, University of Calabar and Teaching Hospital, Federal University of Agriculture Abeokuta, University of Maiduguri and Teaching Hospital, Federal University Gashua, University of Port Harcourt and Teaching Hospital, University of Uyo, Federal University Akure, and Federal University of Technology Owerri. Phase III covers Modibbo Adama University in Adamawa, Federal University Dustin-Ma in Katsina, Federal University Lafia in Nasarawa, Federal University Lokoja in Kogi, Federal University of Technology Owerri, University of Port Harcourt and Teaching Hospital, University of Uyo, and Federal University Akure.

Contractors and developers handling the projects have been directed to appear with original and certified true copies of contract award letters, executed agreements and memoranda of understanding, engineering drawings, bills of quantities, feasibility studies, commissioning certificates, sustainability plans, maintenance agreements, records of contractual variations, manufacturer warranties, handover documents, and operational and maintenance provisions.

Sources within the House describe the standoff as an emerging turf war over jurisdiction, with major implications for transparency and accountability in Nigeria’s renewable energy sector.

While the REA Committee maintains that oversight of the agency properly belongs to it, the Renewable Energy Committee insists that its mandate transcends agency boundaries, covering renewable energy interventions across all MDAs. A ranking lawmaker familiar with the development said the move to stall the probe “raises serious questions about institutional rivalry and the willingness of lawmakers to subject sensitive power-sector projects to full scrutiny,” warning that “the House gave a clear mandate, and any attempt to block that process risks undermining parliamentary oversight and public confidence.”

The Energising Education Programme is one of Nigeria’s flagship renewable energy interventions, backed by billions of naira in public funding and foreign grants, and designed to provide stable electricity to federal universities and teaching hospitals, cut energy costs, and reduce dependence on diesel generators. However, persistent concerns over project quality, sustainability, maintenance frameworks, and transparency in contract awards have heightened calls for rigorous legislative scrutiny. With both committees now locked in a jurisdictional contest, the unfolding confrontation is shaping up as a major test of legislative authority, accountability, and the future of oversight in Nigeria’s fast-expanding renewable energy sector.

The hearing continues on Tuesday. (The Sun)

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