Akin-Olugbade, Mohammed Bello appointed to lead NISO

By Odunayo Akinsanya

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has appointed Dr Adesegun Akin-Olugbade and Engineer Abdu Mohammed Bello to spearhead the newly created Nigerian Independent System Operator (NISO).

The announcement was made yesterday in a statement by Mr Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy.

According to the statement, Dr Akin-Olugbade will serve as the board chairman, while Engineer Bello has been appointed as Managing Director.

Also, the President has named four Executive Directors: Engineer Nafisatu Asabe Ali for Systems Operation, Engineer Shehu Abba-Aliyu for Systems Planning, Dr Edmund Eje for Market Operations, and Mr Babajide Ibironke for Finance and Corporate Services.

The Non-Executive Directors include Engineer Lamu Audu, representing Generation; Mrs Folake Soetan for Distribution; Mr Tajudeen Giwa-Osagie as a Market Expert; Engineer Sule Ahmed Abdulaziz for Transmission, and Alhaji Mahmuda Mamman, Permanent Secretary at the Federal Ministry of Power.

The statement further disclosed that the National Council on Privatisation (NCP) is responsible for concluding the recruitment process.

“These appointments conform to the Electricity Act of 2023. They were made following a memorandum submitted by Vice President Kashim Shettima and a thorough selection process overseen by the Independent Board Nomination Committee (IBNC) in partnership with Phillips Consulting Limited.”

“The establishment of NISO fulfils a crucial requirement of the Electricity Act (2023), which mandates the separation of the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) into a Transmission System Provider (TSP) and an Independent System Operator (ISO).”

“The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) officially inaugurated NISO on 30 April 2024. The Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE) and the Ministry of Finance Incorporated (MOFI) serve as its stakeholders, each holding equal equity shares.”