President Bola Tinubu has appointed both executive and non-executive board members for the newly established Nigerian Independent System Operator (NISO), according to a statement released by his Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, on Wednesday.
Dr. Adesegun Akin-Olugbade has been named the board chairman, while Engineer Abdu Mohammed Bello will serve as Managing Director. The President also appointed four Executive Directors: Engineer Nafisatu Asabe Ali (Systems Operation), Engineer Shehu Abba-Aliyu (Systems Planning), Dr. Edmund Eje (Market Operations), and Mr. Babajide Ibironke (Finance and Corporate Services).
The Non-Executive Directors include: Engineer Lamu Audu (Generation), Mrs. Folake Soetan (Distribution), Mr. Tajudeen Giwa-Osagie (Market Expert), Engineer Sule Ahmed Abdulaziz (Transmission), and Alhaji Mahmuda Mamman, Permanent Secretary at the Federal Ministry of Power.
Onanuga explained that the National Council on Privatisation (NCP) will finalize the recruitment process.
“These appointments are in line with the Electricity Act of 2023,” Onanuga said, adding that they followed a memorandum from Vice President Kashim Shettima and a thorough selection process conducted by the Independent Board Nomination Committee (IBNC) in collaboration with Phillips Consulting Limited.
The creation of NISO is a critical step in fulfilling the Electricity Act (2023) mandate, which requires the unbundling 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 established NISO on April 30, 2024. The Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE) and the Ministry of Finance Incorporated (MOFI) are its equal equity shareholders.
