By Ibrahim Garba
The appointment of Abba Aliyu may have come at the right time going by his resume in public service.
Brilliant, soft spoken, focused, aggressive and never compromising on standards having grown in wisdom in pursuit of excellence.
Trail blazer and strategic thinker, Abba Aliyu reminds you of creative and innovative entrepreneurs in the mould of Elon Musk, an angel investor whose passion for excellence made him aspire to break new grounds at almost every turn.
From the informal sector to big companies our businesses require less bureaucracy. It is time to build good communication into our institutions DNA by ensuring that discussions are built on openness, unambiguous language and demonstrated willingness to listen to everyone who has something to say. I see Abba Aliyu coming with a rich background in human relations which is one of the etiquette of true leadership to the new REA team.
President Tinubu on the other hand is someone that sees your potentials and gives you new opportunities to thrive. Always going for people with leadership mindset to deliver for the good of the people. His Renewed Hope Agenda is built around KPIs such as service, excellence and optimisation which some of his appointees are still grappling to key into.
Abba Aliyu could be the ‘Starboy’ in an institution that have been in the spotlight over the years aiming to scale up access to electricity at the rural areas but battling with a mindset to achieve excellence.
The Rural Electricity Agency has over the years been faced with challenges, and at every turn the leadership found itself been demonized by cross section of Nigerians. But that mindset may change going forward seeing these new ‘ kids emeeging ‘.
REA was set up by Section 88 of the Electricity Power Sector Reform Act 2005, and the board and management of the Agency were inaugurated on March 16, 2006 with the mandate to promote, stimulate, facilitate and improve modern energy access for productive uses in rural areas in order to stimulate rural economic and social development.
They operate in sync with the mandate of the Federal Ministry of Power to design an appropriate tariff that is economically responsive and supportive of the average rural customer.
Graduating from BUK and bagging his MBA in management in 2005 already prepare him for the future.
He however proceeded to acquire an Executive Education from the University of Pennsylvania, the Wharton School in 2014 before heading upwards to acquiring more higher status in 2015 at the Columbia University in the United States of America.
Other previously held positions include SA to Minister of Power, Divisional Head, Nigerian Bulk Electricity Trading, NBET plc, General Manager, Corporate Services NBET plc, General Manager and Strategy NBET plc, Head Project Management Unit NBET plc and several other key positions.
No longer new on the terrain, Abba Aliyu know the trouble spots. And with his new found form the REA is set to be reset to turn Mr President agenda of rural community access to electricity a success.
It is on record that in the last 14 years spanning the period between 2010 and 2023, Nigeria’s Power Supply has dipped, roughly 232 cases of partial and total collapses, raising fears in the industry that unless remarkable progress is made, the current efforts by Tinubu Administration to reflate the economy of Nigeria may remain gloomy unless strategic initiatives are introduced. Our deepest fear is the continuous vandalization of infrastructure at the grid lines and rising cases of insecurity.
Also, many small and medium-scale enterprises have packed up as the combination of rising cost of living and Naira devaluation is forcing consumers to look for other alternatives to survive.
Review of available data gives clear evidence that in 2010, Nigeria experienced 42 total and partial crashes; 19 in 2011; 24 in 2012; another 24 in 2013; 13 in 2014; and 10 partial and total grid collapses in 2015.
In addition, in 2016, it rose to 28; 21 in 2017; 13 in 2018; 11 in 2019; and four in 2020. In 2021, Nigeria suffered two major collapses, about four in 2022 and 2023, after the nation celebrated a reprieve of 400 days of stability on the grid, it suffered about three incidences in quick succession due to activities of vandals.
The Abba Aliyu led team may have seen the early warning signs of anti corruption when President Tinubu sacked the former MD/CEO and some of his team members over acts of abuse of office marking a new era of turn around within the industry. It is no longer business as usual, it is either you perform or shown the exit door.
Abba Aliyu coming from a disciplined background is not new to challenges and his new appointment is a call to duty to serve and many analysts within the industry described him as a square peg in a square hole having worked within the REA seeing him rise to become Head, Project Management Unit.
Abba Aliyu has been described by circle of friends as amiable, gentle, open minded, never compromising and man of integrity who sees challenges as opportunity to thrive and excel.
No doubt his outstanding record of achievements and his managerial skills may see him as the Game Changer for Tinubu at the Rural Electricity Agency in Nigeria.
