Stakeholders in the power sector are not sure what to make of the new minister of Power, Sale Mamman.
To them, the new minister may take some time learning the ropes and this could slow the workings of the industry.
They cautioned that if he comes to the industry with a mindset of wanting to change some of the things that have been put in place by his predecessor, he will discover that he may not achieve anything.
Ayodeji Dada, President, Association of Energy Engineers, Nigeria Chapter said we need to wait for his policy statement before we know where he is heading to. If he comes with a mindset of bringing his own team that would work with him and not want to continue with the process he meets on the ground it means that the industry would be in serious trouble.
“But like i said essentially, the industry needs to listen to him to know his policy direction before it would be able to say whether he would be able handle the sector well not.”
He said if he is a good team player and listener, he may not have issues as industry operators would like to guide him through some knotty issues in the industry.
Another industry operator, Kola Olabayo stated that whoever is given the mandate as the minister of power has a lot of work to do. He said there are institutions that are driven by the system on the ground already and what is required of him is to provide the desired leadership in the industry.
He said all the agencies under the ministry already have their mandates and they should be provided with good leadership to function. He needs to make himself available to the dynamics of the industry.
“We expect him to hit the ground running, as there institutional, regulatory and legal frameworks to be reviewed for the benefits of the industry and Nigerians”, he said.
Over six industry operators contacted by BusinessDay to find out what they know about the new minister said what they only know about him is that he an engineer and has some interest in agriculture.
OLUSOLA BELLO
