By Japheth Usoro
“Greatness lies, not in being strong, but in the right using of strength; and strength is not used rightly when it serves only to carry a man above his fellows for his own solitary glory. He is the greatest whose strength carries up the most hearts by the attraction of his own.”
The above quote from Henry Ward Beecher aptly captures the unique and sterling attributes of one of Nigeria’s greatest, Chairman/CEO of Geometric Power and former Minister of Power, Professor Bart Okechukwu Nnaji, an embodiment of humility and class, who Today, to the glory of God, marks his birthday.
Professor Bart O. Nnaji’s Geometric Power Limited, is the first indigenously owned private sector power company in Nigeria. Geometric Power develops and invests in power plants, sub stations, electricity distribution infrastructure and gas pipelines.
Prof. Nnaji served as the Federal Minister of Power from 2011to 2012. Prior to that, he served as Special Adviser to the President on Power & Chairman, Presidential Task Force on Power from 2010 to 2011. During this period, he developed the Roadmap for power reform in Nigeria. He subsequently led the implementation of the Power Roadmap as well as privatization of Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN), the state-owned utility monopoly as Honourable Minister of Power. During his tenure as Minister, he was a member of the National Economic Management Team, chaired by the President and includes Senior Ministers and select Captains of Industry. He served as a member of the Presidential Advisory Council from March 2010 to January 2011 and was the Chairman of the Power committee of the Council. In 1993, he served as Federal Minister of Science and Technology of Nigeria. Prior to his appointment, the Ministry had been abolished by Government. He re-established the Ministry to sustainability to date.
In 2009, he was appointed by then President Yar’Adua as a member of the National Energy Council (the apex decision making body on energy in Nigeria). He was the pioneer President of the Independent Power Providers Association of Nigeria (IPPAN). He served on the Governing Board of the Nigerian Merit Board from 2008 to January 2014.
Prof Nnaji as a young man
Prof Nnaji was a Professor of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst from 1983 to 1996. He subsequently became the Alcoa Foundation Professor of Engineering at University of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania from 1996 to 2003. In 2003, he served as the William Kepler Whiteford Professor of Engineering at University of Pittsburgh where he also spearheaded the creation of the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) Centre for e-Design as a multi-campus NSF Center of Excellence in the United States of America and served as its first Director. He resigned as William Kepler Professor of Engineering and Director of the U.S. NSF Center for e-Design in 2007.
Prof Nnaji also served as Principal or Co-Principal Investigator on over $50 million research sponsored by the US National Science Foundation, NATO, US Department of Defence, NASA, GE, Boeing, IBM, Ford Motor, and many other major companies.
He has published 5 books and over 100 technical articles. His book, Computer Integrated Manufacturing and Engineering, won the 1994 world best text book prize for Manufacturing Engineering. He was the founding Editor-in-Chief of the International Journal of Design and Manufacturing and has served as Editor of many professional journals.
He has also served as Chairman of many conferences including the World Conference on Robotics Research (1991); the UN Institute for Training and Research Workshop for diplomats from various parts of the world at the UN headquarters on debt and financial management for developing countries (2001 and 2002).
He has received numerous awards including: 5 honorary doctorates from prestigious universities; Nigeria’s highest intellectual national honour — Nigerian National Order of Merit (NNOM); the National Honour – Commander of the Order of Niger (CON); Fellow of Nigerian Academy of Science; Fellow of Nigerian Academy of Engineering (FAEng); The U.S. Secretary of State’s Distinguished Public Service Award (1995); Distinguished Scientist Award by the World Bank – IMF Africa Group (October 1998); West African Power Industries Life-time Achievement Award for 2014; among others.
Prof. Bart Nnaji, a global citizen, hails from Umuode in Nkanu East Local Government Area of Enugu State.
Happy birthday Aka Ji Oku of Igboland, Agu Na Eche Ibe, Onwa Nkanu! from all of us at GMTNews +2347048094066, info@gmtnewsng.con
Japhet is Energy correspondent @GMTNews
