BENIN CITY____ A group from Edo State, Ezi Elite Forum of Igarra, Akoko-Edo local government area yesterday commended the Senate for the confirmation of Professor James Momoh as the Chairman, National Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC).
President Muhammadu Buhari had last April forwarded the name of Momoh to the Senate for confirmation but the screening was delayed as a result of a face-off between the Senate and the Presidency.
A statement signed by the President and Public Relations Officer of the Forum, Saturday Jimoh and Ganiu Apologun and made available to journalists in Benin City said the group trusts Momoh to bring his academic qualifications and wealth of experience to bear on the epileptic state of affairs in the electricity sector in Nigeria.
“We are proud to be associated with Prof. Momoh and have no doubt that his appointment is one case of putting a round peg in a round hole and a step taken in the right direction to genuinely find a lasting solution to the electricity problems in Nigeria.”
The statement said the appointment of Momoh is a recognition by President Muhammadu Buhari and meant to give him an opportunity to serve his fatherland in a capacity where he has the requisite qualification and experience to make the needed change in a sector relevant to all aspects of life.
The Ezi Elite Forum said it believes Momoh would deliver on this all-important national assignment which has been thrust into his hands.
The group added that the Senate Committee on Power attested to his competence and qualification when Senator Eyaniya Abaribe, presenting the report, said: “Mr. President, distinguished colleagues, the nominee, Prof. James Momoh was screened by the Senate Committee on Power. He has the credentials, and he has the experience,” adding, “The Committee, therefore, has no objection to his confirmation and I hereby submit that he should be confirmed.”
Momoh who was nominated as Chairman of the NERC by President Buhari on April 17, 2017 is coming with a wealth of relevant academic qualifications and requisite experience in the energy sector to make impact on the nation’s epileptic power situation. He is a Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science and the Director of Energy Services and Controls at Howard University in the United States.
A Life Fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers and Fellow of the Nigeria Society of Engineers, he has over three decades of teaching and research experience in power system, smart grid, optimisation and power communications which makes him tremendously qualified to move the energy sector forward in Nigeria.
