The Nigerian Independent System Operator (NISO) has intensified efforts to strengthen the reliability and safety of Nigeria’s national electricity grid with the commencement of the second phase of its capacity development programme for system operators.
The training is designed to enhance the technical competence, operational readiness and decision-making skills of personnel responsible for managing the national grid in real time.
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Declaring the programme open, NISO Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, Engr. Abdu Bello Mohammed, said continuous capacity development was essential to equipping system operators to handle the growing complexities of Nigeria’s power system.
He stressed that NISO’s mandate as an independent system operator requires technical competence, sound judgement, discipline, teamwork and an unwavering commitment to safety.
Mohammed urged participants to deepen their knowledge of the Grid Code, describing it as a fundamental standard guiding the responsibilities of system operators.
He said the training was also aimed at promoting a common operational culture built around professionalism, integrity, neutrality, reliability and continuous improvement.
The NISO boss assured that the organisation would continue to invest in its system operators, noting that modern technologies could only achieve their full potential when supported by competent and well-trained professionals.
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Also speaking, Executive Director, System Operations, Engr. Nafisatu Ali, said system operators play a critical role in independently and transparently monitoring, coordinating and managing the national grid to ensure safe, secure and economical electricity delivery.
She said their responsibilities include real-time grid management, coordination of generation and power flows, load allocation, outage management, emergency response and maintenance planning.
Ali urged participants to strengthen 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.
She further encouraged them to learn from system disturbances and near misses, describing such incidents as opportunities to improve operational knowledge and prevent future occurrences.
The Executive Director, Finance and Corporate Services, Babajide Ibironke, said the programme must 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 organisation’s knowledge-sharing policy.
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NISO said the programme forms part of its broader efforts to build the human capacity needed to support the safe, reliable and efficient operation of Nigeria’s evolving electricity system.
Alternative punchier headline: NISO Trains System Operators to Prevent Grid Failures, Boost Power Reliability