Mustapha Abdullahi: Nigerians Winning Is The Goal 

Today, even the most acerbic of his adversaries has to come to terms with the incontrovertible fact that the young Dr. Abdullahi has been working round the clock on all fronts to accentuate Mr. President’s agenda in the country’s energy wherewithal in pragmatic terms. Idiosyncratic of his person, his philosophy is woven around possible mindset of to-dos or set goals. His words resonate;

“Every task you take on as an individual, no matter how small, is a step towards the bigger picture you are building as a person. Failure is not fatal and success is not final. Success itself is not about the giant leaps every day. Rather, it is about showing up consistently, especially when it is hard. The work ahead matters. The mindset shapes the outcome, and individual’s efforts set them apart.”

Assessing the leadership deliverables of Dr. Abdullahi since assuming office as the numero uno of the lead energy agency in the country, he has continued to match his words with actions. Just like he told the world at the #COP28UAE (a gathering of over 70,000 participants including several world leaders) in 2023 that the Renewed Hope of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR was not a fluke, he had since gone ahead to prove this with all the visible milestones the Energy Commission of Nigeria (ECN) has recorded under his ascendancy in the short period he has steered the ‘ship’. He has, (like some of the appointees of the current administration have too), proved that Nigeria is not deficient of the needed human capacity development sine qua non to solving her current myriads of multi-faceted rattraps and/or catch-22s.

It is an open and shut fact that the energy sector of the economy has largely been underperforming until the appointment of Dr. Abdullahi. Little was known about the agency, not to talk of its activities. That, has since changed. Nigerians do not necessarily care about who their leader is. They do care really about results. This is exactly what Dr. Abdullahi has brought to the table. One of such (among many) was the initiative of Dr. Abdullahi’s recent historic signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the China Energy Engineering Company (CEEC) and the Nigeria’s Governors’ Forum (NGF). The MOU is the real game changer that would afford State Governments solve energy challenges in their respective states. An action that further complements the Nigerian Electricity Act 2023. What a strategic thinker!

The aim is simple. The objective defined! The goal congruence is about letting Nigerians win. Nigerians can only win when the ordinary man on the streets has access to clean, safe and affordable alternative energy. That, inarguably is what Dr. Abdullahi’s leadership is providing at the Commission. Already, tongues are wagging as vulnerable mothers and women at the hinterlands can now attest to the incontrovertible fact that the Renewed Hope agenda of Mr. President is REAL after all. With many beneficiaries of the eco-friendly wood stove initiative – a product that suits low emission world standard for rural women, guaranteeing a safer environment currently being distributed, many had quipped, ‘Where has he (Dr. Abdullahi) been all these years?’ Not many believe Nigerian could ‘happen to them’, using the street parlance.

Men of actions are people who often are reticent, reserved and self-effacing. They rather, their actions would speak for them. The Energy Commission boss, Dr. Abdullahi appears to be in that category. A man with measurable milestones is no doubt a blessing to his principal. Suffice therefore to say Dr. Mustapha Abdullahi is some sort of benison to President Bola Tinubu, GCFR. And by extension, the Nigerian populace at large.