By Faith Anisiobi, The Sight News
The Nigerian Independent System Operator (NISO) has commenced the second phase of its capacity development programme for system operators, aimed at strengthening the technical competence and operational readiness required for the safe, secure and reliable management of Nigeria’s national electricity grid.
Declaring the training open, the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of NISO, Engr. Abdu Bello Mohammed, said continuous capacity development was essential to equipping system operators to manage the increasing complexities of the power system and respond effectively to changing operational conditions.
Mohammed stressed that NISO’s responsibilities as an independent system operator required technical competence, sound judgment, discipline, teamwork and a strong commitment to safety.
He said the programme was designed to promote a common operational culture anchored on professionalism, integrity, neutrality, reliability and continuous improvement.
The NISO boss urged participants to deepen their knowledge of the Grid Code, describing it as a fundamental standard guiding the responsibilities of system operators.
He also encouraged active participation and knowledge-sharing, noting that the ultimate objective was to translate the training into improved operational performance across NISO’s control centres.
Mohammed assured that NISO would continue to invest in its system operators, stressing that modern technologies could only deliver their full potential when supported by competent and well-trained professionals.
Also speaking, the Executive Director, System Operations, Engr. Nafisatu Ali, highlighted the critical role of system operators in independently and transparently operating, monitoring, coordinating and managing the national grid for safe, secure and economical electricity delivery.
Ali said the responsibilities of system operators include real-time grid management, coordination of generation and power flows, load allocation, outage management, emergency response and maintenance planning.
Given the interconnected nature of Nigeria’s power system, she stressed the importance of effective coordination in maintaining grid stability.
She urged participants to deepen their understanding of voltage and frequency control, outage management, power-flow monitoring, real-time balancing of generation and load, as well as coordination among control rooms.
Ali also encouraged them to learn from system disturbances and near misses as opportunities to strengthen operational knowledge and prevent future incidents.
The Executive Director, Finance and Corporate Services, Babajide Ibironke, emphasized the need for the programme to deliver measurable value to both participants and NISO.
He disclosed that participants would be required to share the knowledge acquired with their respective teams in line with the organization’s knowledge-sharing policy.
The programme forms part of NISO’s broader efforts to develop the human capacity required to support the effective operation of Nigeria’s evolving electricity system.
