Institutional Dynamics of Decentralised Energy Governance in Nigeria’s Federal System: A Multi-Level Analysis

Nigeria's federal constitutional architecture creates a multi-level governance structure for energy policy in which federal, state, and local government authorities hold overlapping and sometimes contested jurisdictions over electricity generation, distribution, and off-grid energy regulation, generating institutional dynamics whose implications for decentralised energy governance have not been systematically theorised. This study analyses the institutional dynamics of decentralised energy governance across Nigeria's federal system through a multi-level analytical framework integrating federal systems theory, polycentric governance theory, and historical institutionalism. The Electricity Act 2023's devolution of electricity generation and distribution authority to state governments constitutes the empirical focus of the study. A multi-site comparative case analysis of four states, including Kaduna, Enugu, Lagos, and Borno, examines how state governments have responded to the devolution opportunity, what institutional capacities they have developed, what inter-governmental conflicts have emerged, and what governance outcomes have resulted for renewable energy deployment and electricity service delivery. Data collection combined 68 semi-structured interviews with state energy officials, federal regulators, private sector actors, and civil society representatives, documentary analysis of state electricity laws, and quantitative analysis of renewable energy investment and electrification rate data disaggregated by state. The study's original theoretical contribution is a Federal Energy Governance Transition Model specifying the conditions under which decentralisation enhances or impedes renewable energy deployment outcomes in federal developing country contexts. Keywords: decentralised governance, federalism, energy policy, Nigeria, multi-level analysis.