The federal government has begun construction of a new ultra-modern National Control Centre for the Nigerian Independent System Operator (NISO) in Osogbo, Osun State, to replace a 64-year-old facility that can no longer meet the demands of running the country’s grid. The groundbreaking was performed by Vice President Kashim Shettima, on Wednesday, supported by the Minister of Power, Joseph Tegbe.
Shettima, represented by his special adviser (Legal), Bashir Maidugu, said reliable electricity is central to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda. He described power as the foundation of an economy that works, allowing manufacturers to plan production, small businesses to operate with confidence, and hospitals and schools to function. “The National Control Centre is where that reliability is protected,” he said, adding that Nigeria cannot run a modern, interconnected grid with the tools of yesterday.
Giving an overview of the project, Tegbe said the centre will give NISO the ability to see what is happening across the national grid and respond promptly. He described it as a concrete expression of the President’s determination to fix the underlying weaknesses in electricity supply. Once commissioned, the centre will feature integrated SCADA, large-format displays and analytics to help operators spot developing faults, plan preventive maintenance and make better use of existing generation and transmission capacity.
It will also improve responses to grid disturbances, support the integration of renewable energy and strengthen Nigeria’s coordination within the West African Power Pool, backed by stronger physical and cyber security. For consumers and businesses, Tegbe said the expected payoff is fewer avoidable outages and a more dependable supply. He cautioned, however, that this also depends on adequate gas feedstock, well-maintained transmission equipment and distribution networks capable of delivering power to end users.
The centre, he said, will strengthen the coordination that turns those investments into usable electricity. The Nigerian Independent System Operator (NISO) managing director/CEO, Abdu Bello Mohammed, said the facility will improve the system operator’s visibility of the grid, sharpen coordination and support faster, better-informed responses to disturbances. He said better data from upgraded telemetry, SCADA and automatic metering will mean better decisions, more reliable electricity and improved market settlement.
The centre, he added, will also equip NISO to meet the technical demands of the West African power system. Mohammed said NISO is training skilled operators to run the facility to international standards. “Technology does not operate the grid, people do,” he said. The ceremony was witnessed by the Board and Management of NISO, members of the National Assembly Committees on Power, leadership of various distribution companies, representatives of the Osun State Government, industry stakeholders and community leaders.
