The Governor of Abia State, Okezie Ikpeazu, PhD has sent a message of congratulations to the Managing Director of the Rural Electrification Agency of Nigeria, Ms. Damilola Ogunbiyi on her recent appointment by the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Antonio Guterres, as the new Chief Executive Officer and Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Sustainable Energy for All (SEforAll) and Co-Chair of United Nations-Energy.
Governor Ikpeazu said this through the Chief Press Secretary to the State, Onyebuchi Ememanka and also noted with delight that Ms Ogunbiyi’s efforts at promoting the development and distribution of electricity across our country have been recognized on a global scale.
Describing her as a “consummate energy expert who seamlessly combines first-class professionalism and a profound sense of patriotic candour”, Ikpeazu recalled how Ms Ogunbiyi and her team at the Rural Electrification Agency worked tirelessly to ensure the delivery of the Ariaria Independent Power Project which supplies power to the Ariaria International Market.
While that project lasted, Ikpeazu continued, Ms Ogunbiyi exhibited an excellent grasp of critical stakeholder engagement and created a solid template for cooperation and cross-fertilization of ideas amongst the key stakeholders in the project, while carefully and professionally managing the interplay between the Federal and State Governments for the timely completion and commissioning of the Power Project which was eventually commissioned by President Buhari in January 2019.
As the first female to be appointed to head the Rural Electrification Agency in Nigeria, Ikpeazu noted, Ms Ogunbiyi who also served as General Manager of the Lagos State Electricity Board will remain a shining light to young women in the country and has proven that given the right opportunities, women are capable of handling even the most demanding assignments.
Governor Ikpeazu, on behalf of the Government and people of Abia State, especially the hundreds of thousands of traders at the Ariaria International Market, wishes Ms Ogunbiyi well in her new assignment and is confident that she will bring to this global assignment, that same high sense professionalism and passion for the public good that has set her apart in her career.
