COMMUNITY PARTICIPATION AND RURAL ELECTRICITY GOVERNANCE REGULATION IN NIGERIA: A FOCUS ON THE DELTA STATE ELECTRICITY POWER SECTOR LAW 2025

Rural Electricity access rate in Nigeria is still below fifty percent, this is poor when compared with other African countries that have attained one hundred percent rural electricity access rate.The International Energy Agency (IEA) has argued that one of the preconditions for a successful rural electrification policy is the full involvement of local people in the decision-making process.The paper focuses on an examination of the rural electricity governance structure in Nigeria and adopts the doctrinal methodology of research.It found that the Electricity Act, 2023 (EA) donated powers to the State Assemblies for establishment of Local Government Implementation Committees however, in the composition of its rural electricity governance structure, the Delta State Electricity Law, 2025 (DEL) did not comply with the position of the IEA.The paper recommends an amendment to the DEL in compliance with the standard developed by the IEA.It concludes by stating that this would imbibe a sense of ownership amongst the rural community, secure electricity investments and improve rural electricity access in Nigeria.