Dr Mustapha Abdullahi, the new Director-General of the Energy Commission of Nigeria, ECN, has promised to ensure the successful implementation of President Bola Tinubu’s energy agenda.
He said this on Tuesday in Abuja when he assumed office.
Mr Abdullahi, an energy expert, said that although the commission was very important to Nigeria’s economic development, it had not accorded the needed priority in the past, adding that he would change the narrative.
He, however, said that he would need the dedication and support of the commission’s staff and its stakeholders to succeed and to make it fulfil its mandate.
The new DG while promising to improve staff welfare, said he would work to integrate the Renewable and Alternative Energy Policy Structure into Mainstream National Energy Architecture.
He promised to ensure the immediate facilitation of the actualisation of the Energy Transition Plan by facilitating research and development funding and partnership initiatives in the energy sector.
“We will facilitate improved welfare consideration for Staff of the commission commensurate with standards in the energy sector.
“We will also review extant energy policies, initiatives and frameworks to stimulate economic development,” Mr Abdullahi said.
He added that the commission under his leadership would work within the newly enacted 2023 Electricity Act on the implementation of specific provisions for renewable energy in the power sector.
He said that with the new legislation in place, there was room for a larger scope of operation and cooperation with the states for deepened economic development built on a robust energy sector for the benefit of Nigerians.
Earlier, the commission’s acting Director-General, Abdulazeez Elama while handing over commended President Bola Tinubu for putting the agency in the hands of a tested professional in the energy sector.
Mr Mustapha served for over a decade in the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission, NUPRC, with significant experience in the Energy and Space Technology sectors.
He obtained his Doctorate Degree in Mechanical Engineering with a focus on Renewable Energy and a Post-Doctoral Fellowship as a Research Associate in the School of Engineering at the prestigious University of Manchester.
NAN
