The Managing Director/CEO of Kano Electricity Distribution Company (KEDCO), Dr. Abubakar Shuaibu Jimeta, has urged emerging leaders to adopt a solution-oriented mindset and passion for excellence, saying both are critical to transforming Nigeria’s power sector.
Dr. Jimeta spoke on Thursday at the CEO Lecture Series hosted by Skyline University Nigeria in Kano State, where he addressed students, faculty, and industry stakeholders on “Strategic Leadership, Corporate Governance, and the Management of Complex Utility Organisations within Nigeria’s Power Sector.”
He told the audience that leadership begins with mindset.
“An overemphasis on challenges can distort strategic planning and decision-making processes, while a constructive and solution-oriented outlook enhances organisational resilience, clarity, and performance outcomes,” he said.
The KEDCO boss also described passion as a fundamental driver of professional excellence, noting that sustained commitment and innovation are only achievable when individuals are genuinely passionate about their responsibilities and continuously seek improvement in their fields.
The highlight of the session came during the interactive question-and-answer segment, when a student asked why customers with prepaid meters still do not enjoy 24-hour electricity supply.
In response, Dr. Jimeta broke down Nigeria’s power value chain, explaining that supply gaps are not solely distribution failures.
“During periods of extreme heat, electricity demand increases significantly, often exceeding available generation capacity.
“As a result, distribution companies such as KEDCO are constrained by the volume of energy allocated from the national grid for distribution,” he clarified.
He stressed that fixing the problem requires coordinated improvements across the entire power ecosystem, particularly in generation capacity and infrastructure stability.
The lecture, which drew strong engagement from students, was hailed as a boost to academia–industry collaboration in grooming future-ready leaders.
Dr. Jimeta closed by emphasising leadership development and informed stakeholder engagement as key to solving sectoral challenges, with the CEO Lecture Series reaffirmed as a strategic platform for bridging the gap between “town and gown” in Nigeria’s evolving power sector.
