By Adewale Sanyaolu
The Managing Director of Ikeja Electric(IE), Mrs.Folake Soetan, has said the company won’t relent until it achieves stable electricity for Nigerians.
Soetan stated this on the sidelines of the Nigeria Power Awards where Ikeja Electric bagged the “Most Gender Diversity Utility Company and Best Electricity Distribution Company” in Nigeria.
This was even as the Executive Director, Sahara Group, and Board Chairman of Ikeja Electric, Mr. Kola Adesina, was bestowed with the Power Sector Lifetime Achievement Award in Abuja last week.
Ikeja Electric is an affiliate of Sahara Power Group, the largest privately owned vertically integrated utility group in Sub-Saharan Africa which operates the Egbin Power Plant (largest power generation station) and Ikeja Electric.
On gender diversity in the workspace, Soetan admitted the fact that men have been her biggest collaborator.
The first female CEO in Ikeja Electric advised women to set themselves apart by exhibiting professionalism and extending the gesture of collaboration with men to achieve the gender inclusion being clamored for. “It is all about having the value, the right attitude, and believing it is possible,” she added.
She further stressed that Ikeja Electric is on a transformation journey, while so much has been done, we are not there yet but have been very deliberate to come up with initiatives that will help take us to where we will like to be.”
The awards are in recognition of the giant strides made in bridging the gap in power supply and boosting the economy by rewarding individuals and industries for their remarkable and noticeable achievements made in the sector.
The NPS Awards is said to be an initiative to publicly recognize and honor both public and private sector organizations and individuals who have contributed to the growth, innovation, and progress in the Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry (NESI).
The strategic initiative is to also showcase the progress made across the industry as to inspire more growth as well as change the narrative of the Nigerian power sector.
The Special Adviser to the President on Infrastructure, Engr. Ahmed Rufai Zakari, who received the Leadership and Excellence Award in the Power Sector, expressed appreciation for having recognized what his team is doing under the PMB administration.
He said the award aims to highlight positive things happening within the industry even though there has been a lot of misinformation and discouraging comments in the power sector.
Also honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award is the Former Minister of Power/Founder Geometric Power Group, Prof. Barth Nnaji, CBN Governor, Godwin Emefiele and a post-humors award to the late Engr. Joseph Makoju
Other individual award recipients are; Minister of Power, Engr. Abubakar Aliyu who bagged the Trailblazer Award, Former President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo GCFR.
Industry and organizations awarded also included the Best Independent Power (Captive Generation) which goes to Ossiomo IPP Edo State; Best Metering Company which was awarded to Mojec International LTD; Transaction of the Year (Transmission) was awarded to Niger Delta Power Holding Company LTD; Mini Grid Developer of the Year to Havenhill Synergy; Bank/Financial Institution of the Year was awarded to Fidelity Bank PlC; Most Impactful International Agency was awarded to USAID/Power Africa; Best State Government in the Power Sector was awarded to Oyo State Government; Gas Supply Company of the Year goes to Axxela Limited; Transaction Company of the Year (Distribution) goes to Olaniwun Ajayi LP/KONEXA ECOF amongst others.
