… As Nigeria Pushes for sustainable Energy
By Jauhar Suleiman Salihu
The World Energy Council Nigeria has formally inaugurated its new Board, signalling a strategic shift towards positioning Nigeria as a solutions-driven player in the global energy transition debate.
For stakeholders across oil, gas, power and renewables, the key takeaway is not just the names on the Board, but the language framing their mandate: pragmatism, bankability and private capital.
The new Board was drawn from across the public and private sectors, academia and international energy institutions. This is a structure designed to reflect the fragmented but interconnected nature of Nigeria’s energy value chain.
The new Chairman of the Board, Mr. Abdulrazaq Isa, Co-founder and Chairman of Waltersmith Petroman Oil Limited, brings deep private-sector oil and gas experience. His leadership signals that indigenous operators will be central to WEC Nigeria’s strategy, not just as participants, but as drivers of the country’s energy future.
The new Chief Executive Officer of the Board, Mr. Bala Wunti, former Chief HSE Officer of NNPC Ltd, adds public-sector institutional memory and regulatory insight. His appointment is significant given NNPC Ltd’s pivot to a commercial entity and Nigeria’s broader push to attract private capital into midstream and downstream projects.
The rest of the Board members, including Dr. Ainojie ‘Alex’ Irune, Dr Mustapha Abdullahi, Dr Emmanuel Okon, Ms Aisha Farida Katagum, Prof. Wumi Iledare, an advisory Editorial Board member of The Valuechain Energy Magazine, Dr. Victor Ekpenyong and Dr. Imamuddeen Talba, blend technical expertise, policy experience and academic research.
This mix suggests WEC Nigeria intends to speak with authority across gas, renewables, policy and research, rather than represent a single interest group.
The significance of the development extends beyond Nigeria. Dr. Omar Farouk Ibrahim, Chair for Africa of the World Energy Council and former Secretary General of the African Petroleum Producers’ Organization, who is also an Advisory Member of Valuechain, described Nigeria’s inclusion in the World Energy Council network as an opportunity to strengthen Africa’s voice in the global energy conversation.
“Africa’s energy transitions aren’t about catching up to external measures of progress, but instead about leading on developing the energy systems needed to power and support a dynamic continent,” Ibrahim said.
He added that “the addition of Nigeria to the World Energy Council network will bring the vibrant, innovative leadership of Africa’s biggest population to our global critical conversation”.
The statement is significant because it places WEC Nigeria within a broader African argument: that the continent’s energy transition cannot simply replicate the priorities, timelines and development models of wealthier economies.
For Nigeria, this means balancing climate ambitions with the immediate need to expand electricity access, industrialise, develop domestic energy infrastructure and monetise its vast hydrocarbon resources.
Both Isa and Wunti framed the new mandate in pragmatic, investment-focused terms.
Isa spoke of “strengthening Nigeria’s contribution to the global energy dialogue” and building a committee that “reflects the depth of expertise and leadership within our energy sector.”
The emphasis is on credibility and representation. Nigeria wants its energy story told by Nigerians with technical weight, industry experience and a clear understanding of the country’s unique energy challenges.
Wunti went further, directly referencing the energy trilemma: energy security, equity and sustainability.
His comment that Nigeria’s future should be defined “not by ideology, but by investability delivering prosperity that is bankable, just and secure” is perhaps the clearest signal of the Board’s direction.
That language matters.
It positions WEC Nigeria as pro-solutions rather than simply pro-fuels or anti-fuels. In practice, it means advocating for an energy mix that recognises the role of gas in Nigeria’s transition, pushing for bankable projects and aligning climate ambitions with fiscal and developmental realities.
The emphasis on mobilising private capital also aligns with the Federal Government’s broader efforts to reduce dependence on public funding and create an investment environment capable of attracting domestic and international capital.
Globally, the energy debate has increasingly moved beyond fuel choices towards questions of risk, competitiveness and capital allocation. Investors want projects that are de-risked, commercially viable and supported by predictable regulatory and fiscal frameworks.
Nigeria’s challenge is particularly acute.
The country is grappling with gas infrastructure gaps, persistent power deficits, subsidy reform, energy affordability and the need to monetise more than 200 trillion cubic feet of proven gas reserves. At the same time, it must expand energy access for a rapidly growing population while creating the industrial capacity needed to support economic growth.
This is where WEC Nigeria’s new structure could become important.
With a Board that spans indigenous operators, international energy perspectives, academia, policy expertise and former NNPC leadership, WEC Nigeria is positioning itself as a bridge between government policy and private investment, and between global climate commitments and Nigeria’s local energy poverty realities.
Dr. Ibrahim’s remarks reinforce this potential. Rather than viewing Africa’s energy transition as a process of catching up, the argument is that African countries should have a stronger role in defining what a successful transition means for a continent with enormous energy-access deficits, abundant natural resources and significant development needs.
Nigeria, as Africa’s most populous country and one of its largest energy markets, is central to that conversation.
But influence will ultimately depend on execution.
If the new leadership can translate its “investability” agenda into bankable projects, credible research, data-driven position papers and coherent policy advocacy, WEC Nigeria could emerge as one of the country’s most influential non-governmental voices on energy.
Its ability to convene government, investors, operators, academia and civil society could also give it a unique role in shaping the country’s response to the energy trilemma.
The challenge, however, will be ensuring that the Board’s diversity translates into action rather than representation alone.
The new WEC Nigeria leadership therefore faces a straightforward but demanding test: can it move the conversation from what Nigeria’s energy future should look like to how that future can actually be financed, delivered and sustained?
That may ultimately determine whether the new Board becomes another platform for energy dialogue or a genuine catalyst for Nigeria’s next investment cycle.