A standing Ovation to Aare Dele Momodu at 64

Two weeks ago, I woke up to receive an invitation from Aare Dele Momodu via WhatsApp, requesting my presence at his inaugural leadership lecture in celebration of his sixty-fourth birthday. I was really excited about the initiative because such forums tend to serve as incubation rooms where wealth of ideas that can be used to propel the country forward are consummated.

I was even more excited about the topic “The politics of energy and the way forward” but what really thrilled me was the choice of Prof Bartholomew Nnaji as the guest speaker given his phenomenal exploits in the Nigerian power sector which is already transforming the economy of Abia state and promises to serve as a template that can be used to resolve the power sector challenges in Nigeria.

I waited with abated breath till the sixteenth of May when the event was scheduled to take place at the prestigious Nigerian Institute for International Affairs (NIIA) in Victoria Island, Lagos. The day couldn’t come early enough, it actually felt as if I was the one going to be the celebrant given how excited I was about it. The day eventually came and there was a heavy downpour that morning which resulted in a bit of traffic congestion but it wasn’t enough to deter me as I looked forward with excitement to the event of the day.

On getting to the premises of the NIIA, the ambiance of the venue was augmented by a beautiful collage of photographs of the celebrant with leading past and present, national and global leaders which showcased him as a man with vast networks and influence even though he has always downplayed this with his exceptional humility.

As expected the ambiance of the auditorium was congenial as it had been well decorated to suit the occasion and the Master of Ceremony was no less than Dr Reuben Abati who is one of the top and most respected journalist in the country. The occasion was graced by three former governors who have also been leading presidential candidates in previous elections namely Peter Obi, Donald Duke, and Rabiu Kwankwaso while the Chief Host of the occasion was the governor of Osun state, His Excellency Governor Ademola Adeleke.

The royal father of the day was no less a personality than the Oonirisa, His Imperial Majesty, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi who brought pomp and pageantry to the occasion. The chairman of the occasion was Dr John Dramani Mahama the former president of Ghana who did a lot to transform the power sector in Ghana, while as mentioned earlier the guest speaker was Professor Bartholomew Nnaji who is probably the most qualified Nigerian alive to give a lecture on the subject matter.

The event started with a brief welcome from the MC, Dr Reuben Abati who added a lot of flavour to the occasion with his wit and charm as he dexterously handled the affairs of the day. Next was the celebrant, Aare Dele Momodu who told us about his dream for a better Nigeria and wanting to leave a legacy of contributing to the country’s development being the inspiration behind opting for leadership lectures to celebrate his birthday going forward, to the applause of the audience.

The chairman of the occasion Dr John Dramani Mahama was the first to speak and he shared with us his experience in solving the power problems in Ghana during his administration while he advocated for greater cooperation between Nigeria and Ghana in resolving our economic challenges in the ECOWAS sub-region. He also emphasized that Nigeria being the big brother has a bigger role to play in developing the sub-region.

Next was Prof Bartholomew Nnaji giving us his keynote address in which he first spoke about the politics of energy at the international level, the issues regarding the quest for renewable energy to protect the planet while he pointed out the hypocrisy and double standards of Western powers when their interests conflict with the ideals that they have set for the rest of the world. He then delved into the power sector challenges in the country and what can be done to assuage them.

He was particular about the availability and the cost of gas which the government and the oil companies prefer to export rather than making it abundantly available for local use. However, he didn’t delve into the specific challenges he had in setting up Geometric Power Limited in Abia state and how he was eventually able to overcome these challenges which was what I really looked forward to hearing about from the horse’s mouth. I guess that he didn’t want to shake the table so he avoided a topic that could end up being controversial.

A few eminent personalities were then called upon to respond to the keynote speaker’s address starting with Mr Peter Obi who emphasized the critical role the power sector will play if we were to move our country from a consuming one to a producing one. Next was His Imperial Majesty Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi who dazzled us with his charm and eloquence as he emphasized the importance of the power sector while he advocated that we unite as a people to solve the country’s problems.

On his part, Donald Duke told us of how Nigeria lost a major investment opportunity from America in the mid-eighties when they proposed to build a gas pipeline from Nigeria to Europe due to the arrogance of our leaders at the time while inferring that the problem persists today. The pipeline was meant to evacuate over 25 billion cubic feet of gas that was being flared away at the time which was equivalent to about 25 million litres of diesel being frittered away daily, instead of harnessing it to add value to the country’s economy.

Contributing further, Kola Karim the chairman of Shoreline Group a major player in the Nigerian energy sector emphasized the need to develop infrastructure so that we can fully harness our resources to produce an efficient and stable power supply in the country.

It was indeed a very elucidating event but like all good things, it had to come to an end and our ever-so-professional MC was determined not to keep us waiting beyond the timeline planned for the occasion even though most of us wouldn’t have minded spending more time learning from the brilliant minds that spoke at the event.

At this juncture, I would like you to use this opportunity to once again congratulate my boss and egbon, Aare Dele Momodu on the auspicious occasion marking sixty-four years of his sojourn on this planet and celebrate him for the giant strides that he has made within the period. More commendable is the passion he has for our beloved country Nigeria and the desire he has to contribute to the development of the country which he has continuously demonstrated over the years and has now decided to institutionalize it by making the leadership lecture an annual event on the occasion of his birthday.

I pray that the almighty will continue to prosper him and reward his labor of love for the country even as we pray for good leaders that would turn the country to the path of progress and prosperity.

This is also a call out to other influential Nigerians to endeavor to use their means to contribute to the development of the Nigerian society. With what Aare has done with this leadership lecture, he has demonstrated that you don’t need political power to contribute effectively towards the development of the country. Where there is a will, there will surely be a way.

Oshobi writes from Lagos.