REA opens books to ICPC as rural power investment expands

The Rural Electrification Agency (REA) has invited the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) to conduct a comprehensive review of its operations, as the agency moves to strengthen accountability around growing investments in electricity access and renewable energy projects nationwide.

Managing Director of the REA, Abba Aliyu, said the review would help identify weaknesses in internal systems and improve the controls supporting the agency’s expanding programmes, partnerships and infrastructure investments.

He spoke during a visit by the ICPC to the REA headquarters, where he called for closer collaboration between the commission and the agency’s Anti-Corruption and Transparency Unit.

Aliyu said stronger external scrutiny was necessary as the volume and complexity of rural electrification projects increased.

“Transparency is strongest when an organisation is willing to open its systems to external scrutiny, identify operational gaps, and actively implement corrective measures,” he said.

The move has economic significance because the credibility of institutions responsible for electricity infrastructure can influence the willingness of government, development partners and private investors to commit capital to projects.

REA is implementing several programmes involving solar mini-grids, distributed energy systems and electricity access projects, making procurement, project monitoring and asset management critical to ensuring that allocated funds translate into functioning infrastructure.

The agency has also worked with the ICPC’s Anti-Corruption Academy on strengthening integrity and accountability in project delivery and procurement.

The latest initiative comes after the REA emerged as the leading agency in the power sector in the ICPC’s 2025 Ethics and Integrity Compliance Ranking and Performance Outlook. It was also listed among the top-performing government agencies under the commission’s Anti-Corruption and Transparency Unit effectiveness assessment.

Aliyu said the review should not be treated as a one-off exercise but as part of a continuous process for testing and improving the systems supporting rural electrification projects.

For Nigeria, the issue extends beyond administrative compliance. Every naira committed to electricity access represents potential investment in households, small businesses, schools, health facilities and local industries that remain constrained by unreliable power.

Weak project governance can increase costs, delay delivery and leave communities with infrastructure that fails to operate at its intended capacity. Stronger controls, by contrast, can improve value for money and give financiers greater confidence in long-term energy projects.

The ICPC review therefore comes at a critical time for Nigeria’s decentralised electricity market, where the Federal Government is increasingly looking to private capital, development finance and state-level participation to expand access.

The REA said it would continue working with the ICPC and its internal transparency structures to strengthen its operational framework.

The larger economic test is whether stronger governance will translate into better project execution, longer-lasting infrastructure and more electricity reaching communities and businesses that remain outside reliable grid supply.