Building A New Energy Economy, Not A Will-O’-The-Wisp 

OMOGBOLAHAN BABAWALE

Greatness can be seen or felt in dynamic ways. For every great man you see out there, they have, as a gift, an innate intuition – a natural clairvoyance or sixth sense that enables them know, without psychoanalytic reasoning what they need to know. Greatness, in the views of the writer is NOT defined by the status of an individual but the value such a personage adds or they are adding to making the society better, and life more beautiful to co-habit The aim is simple.

The goal, defined. A commitment to leading Nigeria’s energy wherewithal through symbiotic synergies with relevant stakeholders, affordable and accessible cleaner energy that also ultimately guarantees safer environment. Such is the vision – to build an energy economy in line with *President Bola Ahmed Tinubu*’s _Renewed Hope_ agenda that will stand the test of time, not a bubble that vanishes with just a pinhole or prick, and not an ignis fatuus that disappears with the sunny day.

Akin to the delusional wild goose chasers who converge impulsively, albeit needlessly, yet relentlessly on a feckless voyage of unseating Mr. President, through their bound-to-scatter coalition; they fail to see a tomorrow the Tinubu-led administration is building today. In the same manner, not many will understand the foundation of an energy future that not only will ratchet down capital flight, reduce, drastically, energy cost, improve Nigeria’s economy in the area of higher Gross Domestic Products (GDP) – a corollary of job creation through the energy value chain as well as a secured future via eco-friendly green energy sustainability.

Without acting peremptory or overly pretentious, the leadership of *Dr. Mustapha Abdullahi* as the _Director-General/Chief Executive Officer_ of the _Energy Commission of Nigeria (ECN)_, believes every Nigerian deserves clean, affordable, and accessible energy deliverable – not as a privilege but as a right given the country’s massive energy potential and the work-in-progress of the current administration. Evidenced in its (ECN’s) _National Energy Master Plan – NEMP_, the focus of the leadership is one that is poised to pursue, aggressively, a national energy plan with inclusive growth to de-pauperize the flotsam and jetsam demography of the Nigerian society.

As a dignified and worthy member of the _*’Class of the few Renewed Hope Workaholics’*_, *Dr. Abdullahi* is always in the news – not for the wrong reasons though, but as a bona fide tub-thumper, espouser, and apostle of *President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR*. This trait he did not acquire as a latter-day convert, but built over time as a staunch hierophant of the Tinubu _’school of politics’_ over the years. Those who watched his activities prior to the 2023 elections would testify to this assertion and his always-ready attitude to anything Tinubu. It is therefore no surprise that he is giving it his all as an appointee of Mr. President.

His leadership at the _Commission_ is constantly evolving – with every action, initiative and policy decision, strategically designed, is geared towards accelerating the country’s foreseeable energy future. Paramount on the agenda is the need to jettison the usual approach of non-communicative interaction with the public and adopting a strategy where innovations, collaborations, synergies, and partnerships become the fulcrum of the _Commission_’s engagements. His approach is beyond managing the energy spectrum but also living it – whether on the streets or in offices, in schools or in public gatherings, in the hinterlands or urban centres – delivering the Renewed Hope energy agenda is a top agendum!

With a clear and crystal vision not encapsulated in a will-o’-the-wisp, Dr. Abdullahi’s leadership at the _Energy Commission of Nigeria (ECN)_ is on quotidian, evolving as an answered prayer to an agency (of government) that has been in the loop for years and has continually begged for attention to be seen with its huge potential and several milestones.

*Omogbolahan L.A. BABAWALE* is the *Convener* and *Lead Resource Person* of *The Think-Tinubu Initiative (3TI)*. He writes from Lagos. officialczar2@gmail.com