Menu

Abdulaziz confirmed as MD/CEO of Transmission Company of Nigeria

10 May 2022
Financial Nigeria

Summary

Abdulaziz was noted for his collaborative management approach, which TCN said also engendered synergy and consultation among sister agencies and other sector players who are now recognized as TCN customers and partners in the Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry.

Managing Director/CEO, Transmission Company of Nigeria, Sule Ahmed Abdulaziz

The President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Muhammadu Buhari, has confirmed Sule Ahmed Abdulaziz as the substantive Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN), with effect from 4 April 2022.

Until his confirmation, Dr. Abdulaziz was the Acting Managing Director of TCN, from 19 May 2020 to 4 April 2022. He was responsible for the overall supervision of the affairs of the state-owned transmission company, including transmission projects, transmission network operations and maintenance, system operations, market administration, human resources management and was the Chief Accounting Officer.

“Under his watch as the Ag. MD/CEO, TCN recorded milestone achievements in projects execution and delivery, stable grid management, and human resources management that optimized personnel performance and productivity,” TCN said in a statement signed by its General Manager, Public Affairs, Ndidi Mbah. “Working with an Executive Management consisting of four Executive Directors, Engr. Abdulaziz embarked on projects initiatives and execution that significantly transformed TCN from a faltering successor company in the post-privatization era to a viable national and sub-regional transmission company. This is hardly surprising as … Abdulaziz brought to bear his over 25 years of engineering experience and responsibility as a tested project manager.”

TCN’s numerous achievements in areas of projects execution and delivery before his confirmation were attributed to his sound leadership and keen focus on grid expansion, rehabilitation and maintenance as well as stability and reliability in the transmission of bulk power in the country, through the systematic implementation of the flagship strategy program: Nigeria Electricity Grid Maintenance, Expansion and Rehabilitation Program (NEGMERP). Abdulaziz put the program in place to guide the execution of capital and reinforcement projects across the transmission regions in the country while still giving priority to the maintenance of the existing infrastructure.

“Dr. Abdulaziz has demonstrated deftness in project execution and fund management as he ensured that all projects under donor-funded schemes were professionally supervised by specialized units of the company called Project Management Units (PMUs),” the statement continued. “The execution of the donor-sponsored projects has progressed extensively and the milestones delivery are as scheduled.”

According to TCN, the donor-sponsored Abuja feeding scheme project, for instance, which consists of one new 330kV line, two 330/132kV, and three 132kV transmission substations, has progressed extensively and will be ready for commissioning by the end of the third quarter of 2022. The World Bank-sponsored NETAP project has also made remarkable progress as all procurement processes have been concluded and most of the packages are at the project implementation stage. The statement also said the recent delivery of 5 x 150MVA 330/132kV and 10 x 60MVA, 132/33kV Transformers at the same time to TCN Central Stores at Ojo Lagos (some have been moved to substation sites across the country for installation), was a noteworthy achievement in the history of the power sector in Nigeria.

Abdulaziz was noted for his collaborative management approach, which TCN said also engendered synergy and consultation among sister agencies and other sector players who are now recognized as TCN customers and partners in the Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry (NESI), contrary to what was the case before his headship of the company. In this regard, special attention is now dedicated to resolving Distribution Company (Disco)-TCN interface issues to ensure seamless delivery of bulk power to the load centres nationwide.

Internally, Abdulaziz’s management style is credited to have brought industrial harmony to TCN and he has continued to maintain a non-interference and non-divisive policy in dealing with labour unions and union matters. He has equally enhanced capacity development by strategically investing in the training and retraining of staff to bridge skill gaps among others, TCN said.

Prior to becoming the Acting MD/CEO of TCN, Abdulaziz was the General Manager (Projects) at the corporate headquarters of the company, and was Regional Transmission Manager of Shiroro and Abuja Regions of TCN with responsibility for various operational and managerial functions, including the wheeling of bulk power to the Discos; coordination and supervision of equipment maintenance and repairs, transmission network reliability, security and expansion; inventory and stock management; and maintaining fiscal responsibility and accountability of the regional offices.

With over 25 years of cognate experience in project management, administration, and fund management, Abdulaziz is a seasoned project engineer, and he has led the initiation and development of various strategic projects such as the construction of 2 x 30/40MVA, 132/33KV Substation at Talata Mafara; construction of 2 x 60MVA, 132/33KV Substations in Keffi, Daura and Kukwaba (Abuja Stadium), Kurfi, Malumfashi, Dustin-Ma, Kankara, Daura, Gagarawa, Lalante, and Igangan; construction of 1 x 150MVA 330/132KV substation in Maiduguri; and construction of 2 x 150MVA, 330/132/33KV substation in Katsina; to mention a few.

Since becoming the Ag. MD/CEO of TCN, Abdulaziz has been the Chairman of the Executive Board of the West African Power Pool (WAPP). Under his leadership of the sub-regional body, WAPP has performed the groundbreaking ceremony in Niger to mark the commencement of the North Core Project, which is a transmission project that is aimed at interconnecting Benin, Burkina Faso, Niger and Nigeria for cross-border electricity trade.

Abdulaziz is a registered Power Engineer with COREN, and a Fellow of both the Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE) and the Nigerian Institute of Power Engineers (NIPE). He is also a chartered member of the Nigerian Institute of Management (NIM) and the Financial Reporting Council (FRC).

He holds a Master of Science degree in Electronics/Automation Engineering from the Technical University in Sofia, Bulgaria; and an honorary doctorate (honoris causa) by Lviv University for Business and Law, Ukraine.

Abdulaziz has also attended several training and self-development courses in the general field of engineering and electrical engineering both in Nigeria and abroad in the following nonexclusive areas: Engineering Project Management and Execution; Design, Operation, and Maintenance of High Voltage Power Equipment; System Planning and Analysis; and Effective and Strategic Procurement.

“The confirmation of his appointment, we believe, would positively impact the Power Sector and also entrench continuity in TCN,” the statement concluded.


Other Photos/Videos

Advertisement

Most Popular News

Subscribe Financial Nigeria Magazine
© Copyright 2024 Financial Nigeria International Limited. All Rights Reserved.   | Terms of Service | Privacy | Disclaimers