MUSTAPHA ABDULLAHI: A TRENDSETTER AND PRESIDENT TINUBU CO-PATHFINDER?

**The Oxford English Dictionary defines a ‘pathfinder’ as ‘someone who can find paths through unexplored territory’ while the Merriam-Webster Dictionary puts same as ‘one that discovers a way’.

Either ways, one may be tempted to look at it, it does not negate the incontrovertible fact that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR over the years – whether in his school days or the organisations he has ever worked.

He has always been a pathfinder in every place, any position he finds himself, even as a pro-democracy activist. His antecedents in the (now) third biggest economy in Africa – a legacy he bequeathed; Lagos State would readily show him as a true ‘sacajawea’ in today’s Nigeria.

As glowing as his trajectory over the years may be, can he single-handedly bring same to bear on a heterogenous and complex nation like Nigeria? That calls for serious thinking. With people’s varied biases as to governance dimension in the country, how does he weigh in on so many perceived injustices that can, at least, satiate the sentiments of the majority, when it is obvious no one can guarantee a hundred per cent perfection in leadership or governance? If the above postulation is by assembling a team that keys into his vision and leadership philosophy, the question then is, ‘How many of his appointees are willing to be _co-pathfinders_ in his committed efforts geared towards re-writing – the history, retooling the democratic tenets, revamping the economy, and re-engineering the entire governance architecture of the country?’ From the foregoing, can we ask how many among them so far have shown capacity? How many have displayed such zest and gusto to compliment Mr. President’s efforts?In the undersigned’s assessment of President Bola Tinubu’s appointment so far outside the cabinet members, only a handful has been seen to be up and doing.

One may be tempted to say may be because, principally, their jobs have something concrete or tangible to do with the public. So, their successes or otherwise naturally resonate with the masses. These individuals in their numbers are not without one man who, hitherto, has been largely regarded, in many quarters, as the _*‘poster boy’*_ of the *Renewed Hope* energy revival of the Tinubu administration.

If there are ten (10) of such appointees, he would be between the first 5. If there were five (5) of them, he would be in the first 3. and if there were only one person, he would be that only one man who can be described as the co-pathfinder in the current administration, and judging by the status of the agency he superintends over before his appointment.

This man is no other person than the _*Director-General/Chief Executive Officer*_,_

Energy Commission of Nigeria (ECN)_, *Dr. Mustapha Abdullahi*. _Theodore Hesburgh_, renowned American priest and academic once said, _*“The very essence of leadership is that you have to have a vision.

It’s got to be a vision you articulate clearly and forcefully on every occasion. You can’t blow an uncertain trumpet.”*_ *Dr. Abdullahi* overtly came with a clear vision of measurable milestones to an agency that was barely known or heard of (except by an infinitesimal few).

Like his principal – Mr. President, he came prepared for the daunting task of revamping Nigeria’s energy sector. His back-to-back milestones in the history of the agency _(ECN)_ under his supervision are testaments to this assertion as it is even obvious to the blind and audible to the deaf!

It is not surprising as he already made categorical statement upon assuming office;_*“Under my stewardship and with the support of our dedicated staff and stakeholders, the ECN as the Lead Agency in the country’s push for energy transition will set the tone for economic development based on progressive innovation and policy initiatives as envisioned by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope agenda.”*_Only recently, like a thinker analogous to that of his employer, the _Energy Commission_ boss hosted a historic signing of a *Memorandum of Understanding (MoU)* with the *China Energy Engineering Company (CEEC)* and the *Nigerian Governors’ Forum (NGF)*.

The said agreement is to further accentuate the Renewed Hope agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration’s many efforts on revamping the energy sector of the country. It will further complement *Nigerian Electricity Act 2023* where state governors will be able to solve energy challenges in their individual states without necessarily waiting for the federal government.

Such recent fête was just one of the many milestones he has recorded, as the *Chief Executive* in so short a period he has been in charge of the country’s leading energy agency. *Dr. Abdullahi* has proven himself as a _trendsetter_ who, within a short time popularised the *Renewed Hope* agenda of *President Tinubu* in the energy sector, and has been largely responsible for why some of the naysayers against the party – *All Progressives Congress (APC)*, including adversaries of Mr. President now have cause to give the latter and his team the benefit of doubt as to make positive impact on governance in all its facets.

Like the Biblical disciples, *Dr. Abdullahi* is one of the eleven faithful followers of *Christ Jesus* of the Tinubu administration, helping in accentuating the milestones of the current administration vis-à-vis its manifestos and electoral promises, especially on energy revitalisation.

This, he, alongside a handful others has hitherto consistently carried out with several shackle breaking landmarks across the various governance architectures in the country. The list is endless. Under his ascendancy as the *Chief Executive* of the _Energy Commission_, his achievements in less than 18 months of coming on board as an appointee of the current government is enough to campaign for President Tinubu’s re-election.

Therefore, let no one live in doubt anymore. Let the misanthropes and cynics have it at the back of their mind that the *Director-General/Chief Executive Officer*, _

Energy Commission of Nigeria (ECN)_, *Dr. Mustapha Abdullahi*, FNSE, CEng, MiMechE is not stopping, not now, and not anytime soon in embarking on projects, institutionalising energy policies, and creating synergies that will not only sell his principal – Mr. President as a man of his words, but also indeed give Nigerians many reasons to be proud of the most populous black nation of the world – Nigeria as their country.

Mustapha knows we have a country to build. He would rather, he left a good legacy for the generations to come than the situation he met on ground. And as _co-pathfinder_ that he is, leading the path on so many fronts in the energy sector, there is no looking back.

Onward forever is the goal!*OMOGBOLAHAN L.A. BABAWALE*Public Affairs AnalystConvener/Lead Resource Person*The Think-Tinubu Initiative (3TI)*[email protected]