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Wumi Iledare, professor emeritus, and energy experts have reacted to President Bola Tinubu’s appointment of Professor Shu’aib Aliyu as the Executive Secretary of the Petroleum Technology Development Fund and the tenure renewal of Sule Abdulaziz as the Managing Director of the Transmission Company of Nigeria.
In a statement by presidential spokesperson Bayo Onanuga on Thursday, he said Aliyu replaced Ahmed Aminu, who resigned his position to pursue the 2027 governorship election in Adamawa State.
The appointments take immediate effect.
Reacting, Prof Iledare described the recent appointments by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in the energy sector as a strategic mix of reform-driven thinking and continuity in critical infrastructure management.
Iledare said the decisions send a “clear dual signal” for the country’s energy sector.
According to him, the choice of leadership at PTDF suggests a shift in focus beyond routine scholarship funding.
“At PTDF, bringing in Prof. Aliyu points to a shift from routine scholarship funding to a more strategic focus on human capital, research, and innovation—which Nigeria urgently needs to stay competitive,” he said.
On the power sector, Iledare noted that the extension of Abdulaziz’s tenure underscores the importance of stability in addressing long-standing transmission challenges.
“At TCN, renewing Engr. Abdulaziz reinforces continuity where it matters most. Transmission remains the bottleneck in the power sector, so steady leadership is critical for grid stability and expansion,” he added.
He explained that the appointments reflect a broader attempt to balance immediate operational efficiency with long-term sectoral growth.
“Bottom line: this is a balance of long-term capacity building and short-term system efficiency,” Iledare stated.
However, the energy expert cautioned that the success of such reforms would depend largely on implementation.
“But reforms like this take time. As they say, the honey is under the rock—you have to keep working at it without being discouraged by the effort. Execution—not intention—will determine the real impact,” he stated.
Prof Iledare reacts as Tinubu appoints Aliyu as PTDF Boss, renews TCN MD Abdulaziz’s tenure
