By Shina Abubakar, Osogbo

OSOGBO – The Managing Director of the newly established, Nigeria Independent System Operator, NISO, Engr. Mohammed Bello has charged the staff of the organisation that Nigerians are relying on their professional competency for improved power supply in the country.

He also clarify that the new body was carved out of National Control Centre to ensure effective service delivery in the power sector in line with global best practices.

Speaking with a staff of the National Control Centre, NCC and Transmission Company of Nigeria, TCN, during a technical visit to the offices in Osogbo on Thursday, he said the creation of NISO is to allow for paradigm shift in service delivery in the electricity supply chain in the country.

According to him, we have now transitioned to a new structure with the establishment of the Nigeria Independent System Operator, NISO. This development is not accidental. It is the outcome of years of power sector reforms, backed by strong regulatory guidance and driven by the need to deliver better services to Nigerians.

“The government, through the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission, has made it clear that our role as system operators must now be fully independent, transparent, and neutral. This is not only a policy and regulatory directive but a national expectation. Our duty now goes beyond grid stability, it includes ensuring fairness, equity, and accountability in all aspects of system operation and market administration.

“Today, the reality we face is one of great opportunity but also great responsibility. The power sector is undergoing reforms. Expectations are high and rising. And rightly so, Nigerians want better electricity services. They want to see that electricity is no longer something they hope for, but something they can count on. And to make that happen, the system operator must function without bias, without compromise, and with full dedication to technical excellence.

“NISO is now a distinct, independent institution mandated to operate the grid in a transparent, non-discriminatory manner. Our loyalty is to the Grid Code, Market Rules and other extant rules, regulations and orders.”

“Our independence means we’ll be guided by data, professionalism, discipline, and integrity. We are to rebrand, not just rebranding for local outlook. We are building a new institution that will stand shoulder-to-shoulder with global system operators.”
Fielding questions from journalists, Bello said NISO’s emergence did translate to unbundling of the TCN nor stop the existence of the mother company but purely a case of power reform and ensuring global acceptability for investors.

“Creation of NISO does not mean unbundling. It’s coming out and creating a NISO from TCN. TCN still exists. There will be further reform in TCN that will unbundle TCN into TSP, Transmission Service Provider. So it’s not unbundling.

“It’s to ensure transparency, if we are not transparent, the market participant, remember Generation, GSP, Distribution, will not have the confidence, will not have the trust in us to invest in the system”, he said.

Earlier in his presentation, the General Manager, NCC, Osogbo, Engr. Biliaminu ishola stressed the need for capacity building for NCC staff in a bid to create structural manpower for the sector.

“Nigeria has the capacity to resolve electricity problems through local solution, but government need to make the manpower viable, create a conducive environment for innovation within the sector to thrive and many local solution to power problem would emerge”, he stated.