Enugu 2023: All Eyes On Governor Ugwuanyi As Clamour For Prof. Bart Nnaji Heightens

Professor Bart Nnaji, “a gift to human race”―former US Secretary of State

As political activities for next year’s general elections intensify across Nigeria, Enugu State seems to be a beehive of activities due to the caliber of persons indicating interest in various elective positions to be contested. This is so because since the return of democracy in 1999, the state this time around is experiencing unprecedented buoyancy in number of persons expressing interest to vie for one position or the other among various elective positions of Governorship, Senatorial, House of Representatives and State Assembly openings that would be up for grabs from the first and second quarters of next year. Some are wondering why this frenzy?

A global citizen and an accomplished astute technocrat, Prof Bart Nnaji, is being called upon by a wide range of groups and opinion moulders in Enugu state and beyond to step out and contest for the governorship of the state.

The clamour for him to run may not be unconnected with the desire among many for him to bring his wealth of experience from the public and private sectors as well as his intellectual capability to bear in consolidating on the gains of the state over the years and create a new pathway for growth in running the government should everything work out successfully.

Another reason is that Enugu being the heart of Igbo land, people of the area are interested in seeing the South East experience industrial and economic transformation beyond it’s present status so that the current wave of restiveness and criminality resulting mainly from lack of jobs in the region could abate.

The heightened quest after him to come and lead Enugu State makes one to ask:

Who Is Professor Bart Nnaji?

Description of the person of Prof. Nnaji is as varied as there are people sharing opinion about him.

Former America Secretary of State, James Baker once described Bart Nnaji as simply, “a gift to human race”.

Also,  an American Certified Public Accountant as well as Chartered Global Management Accountant based in USA, Chief Christopher Ogbodo, says that Prof. Bart Nnaji is “a super exceptionally brilliant human being”.

Professor Bart O. Nnaji is the Chairman/CEO of Geometric Power Limited, the first indigenously owned private sector power company in Nigeria. Geometric Power develops and invests in power plants, sub stations, electricity distribution infrastructure and gas pipelines.

He is the Pro-Chancellor and Chairman, Governing Council, Bells University of Technology, Otta Ogun State, Nigeria.

He also Chairs, Advisory Board for Nigeria Liquified Natural Gas, NLNG, Prize for Science.

Prof. Nnaji was Nigeria’s Federal Minister of Power from 2011 to 2012. Prior to that, he served as Special Adviser to the President on Power and Chairman, Presidential Task Force on Power from 2010 to 2011. During this period, he developed the popular Roadmap for Power Reform in Nigeria. He subsequently led the implementation of the Power Roadmap as well as privatization of Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN), the state-owned utility monopoly as Honourable Minister of Power. During his tenure as Minister, he was a member of the National Economic Management Team, chaired by the President and includes Senior Ministers and select Captains of Industry. He served as a member of the Presidential Advisory Council from March 2010 to January 2011 and was the Chairman of the Power committee of the Council. In 1993, he served as Federal Minister of Science and Technology of Nigeria. Prior to his appointment, the Ministry had been abolished by Government. He re-established the Ministry to sustainability to date.

As Minister of Power, the quantum of power rose from about 2800 megawatts to about 5300 megawatts, a landmark achievement in power generation in Nigeria at the time.

As Minister of Power, the quantum of power rose from about 2800 megawatts to about 5300 megawatts, a landmark achievement in power generation in Nigeria at the time.

In 2009, he was appointed by then President Yar’Adua as a member of the National Energy Council (the apex decision making body on energy in Nigeria). He was the pioneer President of the Independent Power Providers Association of Nigeria (IPPAN). He served on the Governing Board of the Nigerian Merit Board from 2008 to January 2014.

Prof Nnaji was a Professor of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst from 1983 to 1996. He subsequently became the Alcoa Foundation Professor of Engineering at University of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania from 1996 to 2003. In 2003, he served as the William Kepler Whiteford Professor of Engineering at University of Pittsburgh where he also spearheaded the creation of the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) Centre for e-Design as a multi-campus NSF Center of Excellence in the United States of America and served as its first Director. He resigned as William Kepler Professor of Engineering and Director of the U.S. NSF Center for e-Design in 2007.

Prof Nnaji also served as Principal or Co-Principal Investigator on over $50 million research sponsored by the US National Science Foundation, NATO, US Department of Defence, NASA, GE, Boeing, IBM, Ford Motors, and many other major companies.

He has published 5 books and over 100 technical articles. His book, Computer Integrated Manufacturing and Engineering, won the 1994 world best text book prize for Manufacturing Engineering. He was the founding Editor-in-Chief of the International Journal of Design and Manufacturing and has served as Editor of many professional journals.

He has also served as Chairman of many conferences including the World Conference on Robotics Research (1991); the UN Institute for Training and Research Workshop for diplomats from various parts of the world at the UN headquarters on debt and financial management for developing countries (2001 and 2002).

He has received numerous awards including: 5 honorary doctorates from prestigious Universities; Nigeria’s highest intellectual national honour — Nigerian National Order of Merit (NNOM); the National Honour – Commander of the Order of Niger (CON); Fellow of Nigerian Academy of Science; Fellow of Nigerian Academy of Engineering (FAEng); The U.S. Secretary of State’s Distinguished Public Service Award (1995); Distinguished Scientist Award by the World Bank – IMF Africa Group (October 1998); West African Power Industries Life-time Achievement Award for 2014; Onwa Nkanu, conferred on him by all the traditional rulers of Nkanuland/Enugu East Senatorial zone; many other traditional/chieftaincy titles; among other honours and awards.

The acceptance of the calls on Prof Bart Nnaji to run for the governorship seat of Enugu State would have amounted to a distraction from his focus on delivering reliable power to Aba and the environs if not that he has set up a sustainable management structure of international best practice for his Aba Power. He should consider the enormous contributions in development, growth of the state’s economy, job creation among others his governorship would cause for Ndi Enugu.

Prof. Bart Nnaji is widely traveled, well connected both internationally and within Nigeria as to attract investments which will turn Enugu State into investors’ haven to stimulate the state’s economy.

No doubt,  if elected governor, his leadership of Enugu State, with that of Gov. Chukwuma Soludo of Anambra State will combine to pull South East out of the developmental woods it is currently enmeshed in.

However, given the prevailing mechanism of the People’s Democratic Party, PDP, the rulling party in the state on which platform Prof Nnaji is expected to stand for election, the sitting Governor, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, like previous governors in the state wields great influence on who wins the party’s ticket. Therefore, as pressure mounts on Prof Bart Nnaji to contest, all eyes are on Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi to support a transparent process for the emergence of the best aspirant because at this time in Enugu State’s history, it does not need a pedestrian politician but a seasoned technocrat who understands the mix of politics and governance for greater good for all.

♦ Chijioke Ogbodo, a Managing Partner at GMTNews also authored the article: “Who Is Afraid Of Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi”, in 2014.