Governor Umo Eno (4th) from left with the Commission members.
By Essien Ndueso_
The debate around the composition of the Akwa Ibom State Electricity Regulatory Commission, AKSERC, has exposed a troubling bias in public discourse: the belief that leadership and competence can only be measured by a first degree or professional title.
Since Governor Umo Eno announced the pioneer leadership of AKSERC, some critics have questioned whether certain nominees possess the “right qualifications” for a strategic regulatory agency.
But before rushing to judgment, we must ask one fundamental question: What truly qualifies a person to regulate a modern electricity market?
Is it just the title on a university certificate? Or is it the combination of education, experience, proven performance, leadership, industry exposure, regulatory knowledge, and the ability to deliver results?
A careful look at the appointees shows Governor Umo Eno did not select based on sentiment or patronage. He assembled a team whose collective experience covers every aspect of electricity regulation: engineering, stakeholder engagement, economics, policy formulation, finance, and institutional development.
Without immodesty, some baseless arguments reveal what critics were actually expecting: nominees who studied “Electricity Power Regulatory Science” or worked with their parents at the defunct NEPA.
That explains the noise around Ms. Arit Uya’s appointment as Chairperson.
The real question should be: Who is better positioned to lead a state electricity regulator than someone who spent years at the National Electricity Regulatory Commission, NERC — our country’s highest electricity regulatory body? Or as we say in Annang: Êkpedé?
Arit Uya served as Assistant General Manager at NERC, handling consumer complaints, compliance monitoring, licensing, and regulatory enforcement. She has taken decisions affecting operators across Nigeria. She understands regulators. She understands operators. She understands consumers.
She knows the rules. She knows the challenges. She knows the solutions.
If someone who enforced electricity regulations at the national level cannot chair a State’s commission, then… Êkpedé?
*On Dr. Kalu Ukoha – Policy, Planning & Innovation*
Is a man with 28+ years leading transformation across Africa not qualified to drive policy in a transforming sector?
He played key roles in Nigeria’s power sector reforms. He contributed to electricity transformation in Uganda. He worked on sustainability programs in The Gambia.
He holds an MBA, a PhD in Management Strategy, an MSc in Global Business Strategy, and executive training from Harvard Business School and IMD.
Electricity regulation is not just transformers and cables. It’s strategy. It’s planning. It’s institutional reform. It’s innovation. It’s policies that attract investment.
Who better to lead policy planning than a career strategist?
*On Engr. Ubong Etokudoh – Engineering*
His appointment should attract the least controversy.
He trained at NAPTIN. He worked with TCN. He served at Ikeja Electric. He was Gas Turbine Operations Engineer at First Inland Power. He was QHSE Engineer at Egbin, Nigeria’s largest power plant. NERC harvested him from their own board.
If someone with hands-on experience in generation, transmission, distribution, and regulation cannot oversee engineering, then let’s ask the armchair critics together: Êkpedé?
Governor Eno picked a man who knows power systems from the turbine room to the regulatory boardroom.
*On Dr. Valerie Okon Obot – Finance & Corporate Services*
Critics reduce her to her medical background. That misses the point of public administration.
Is a former Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Power who helped secure Akwa Ibom’s Independent Electricity Distribution Network Licence not qualified to oversee finance and corporate services?
She institutionalized the State’s power sector reforms. She was central to acquiring the distribution licence that is the foundation of Akwa Ibom’s electricity autonomy.
She understands government systems. She understands policy implementation. She understands institutional management.
Leadership is not confined to one profession. Doctors lead governments and corporations worldwide. The issue is competence, not origin.
If Valerie was never found wanting as Chief Accounting Officer across MDAs until retirement, then… Êkpedé?
*On Mr. Paul Okon – Economic Regulation*
This criticism exposes a misunderstanding of modern electricity markets.
Must every regulator be an engineer? No. Economic regulation is about numbers. Data. Forecasting. Market analysis. Tariff modeling. Demand projections. Investment viability. Cost recovery. Consumer behavior. Performance measurement.
Which discipline is trained for that? Statistics.
Paul Okon has 10+ years in power sector regulation and compliance. He has been Manager, Commercial at Ibom Power. He holds a degree in Statistics, an Executive MBA, and an MSc in Energy Studies.
Electricity today is data-driven. Meters generate data. Tariffs rely on data. Demand forecasting relies on data. Regulation relies on data.
To say a statistician cannot contribute to electricity regulation is to ignore the global economy.
*The Bigger Picture*
AKSERC is not an engineering department. It is a regulatory institution. Regulation requires law, finance, stakeholder management, economics, engineering, policy, and administration.
Governor Umo Eno’s appointments reflect this. The commission combines regulators, engineers, strategists, administrators, and commercial experts. That diversity is strength, not weakness.
The world no longer rewards rigid professional boundaries. Software giants didn’t necessarily study computer science. Lawyers run multinationals. Doctors manage billion-dollar institutions. People evolve. Industries evolve.
AKSERC’s creation is visionary. For the first time, Akwa Ibom can regulate its own market, attract private investment, protect consumers, and drive industrial growth.
Governor Eno’s job wasn’t to appoint people who look good on paper. It was to appoint people who can build institutions.
The profiles suggest he has.
History shows: the true test of appointments is not the noise at takeoff, but the results at landing.
On paper, Governor Umo Eno’s AKSERC team has the experience, expertise, and diversity to succeed.
The task now is simple: ignore the noise, deliver the electricity future Akwa Ibom
Ndueso Ph.D is the Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Research and Documentation.
deserves.
