Gwamna: The magic wand of KEDCO’s feats

Excellence has been described as doing a common thing in an uncommon way, while others have coined it as the unlimited ability to improve the quality of what you have to offer; in any manner it comes. The truth is that the personality of one leader, who has taken power distribution franchise in Northern Nigeria to the crescendo of service delivery, will remain the talking point of excellence for the uncommon approach towards revolutionising Kano Electricity Distribution Company (KEDCO) as we have it today.

In all aspects of human endeavour and organisational cum business settings, it’s explicitly obvious that many personalities have excelled and formed a cloud around their individual names while profiling their organisations to enviable heights.

It is no longer a forbidden truth that many businesses and establishments have collapsed due to the stark indifferences and managerial ineptitude of their chief executives which has corresponding negative consequences on the entire staff who always got driven by the enthusiasm, resilience, and commitment displayed by the managers and top echelon within  the organisation’s hierarchy.

In places where the organidational vision, mission, and target goals and set objectives are attained and sustained, the diving forces would always be the leadership style and unwavering commitments towards actualising such ideas.

Today, in the Nigeria’s volatile business environment and the ever challenging power sector investment, Kano Electricity Distribution Company is among the organisations that are thriving amidst daunting and enormous challenges.

Certainly, the motivating force and one of the finest names synonymous with the KEDCO success is the company’s Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Jamil Isyaku Gwamna (Sardaunan Gombe). Gwamna’s dedication towards the satisfaction of consumers and staff motivation in meeting up with the company’s objectives is second to none.

Dr. Jamil Gwamna is armed with intimidating academic credentials. He holds BSc in Accounting from Ahmadu Bello University Zaria, a doctorate degree in Economics and MSc in Business Economics and Finance from London Metropolitan University. He has over 25 years of experience, occupying and excelling in a range of leadership positions across various sectors of the economy. Before becoming chief executive officer, Gwamna was part of the team that formulated the National Policy on Public Private Partnership in Nigeria in 2008. He was also the Chairman of Gombe State Water Corporation, member of other boards, notably, as a director on the Board of Kaduna Electricity Distribution Company.

Licensed to distribute, and market electricity for the North western part of the country, comprising Kano, Jigawa, and Katsina states, the entity, KEDCO, is one of the eleven power distribution companies, which was privatised by the Federal Government of Nigeria as part of the electricity power sector reform programme implementation aimed at making electricity available, accessible, and affordable by its consumers in the country. It has the quantum of 19,563,874 customer base, which makes it the largest Disco in Nigeria by population size.

It is impressive to note that beyond the evident impact KEDCO is making in the areas of transfiguring the power sector to address the envisaged challenges as being encapsulated in the Federal Government Agenda for power privatisation, creation of job opportunities is another cardinal area of interesting impact as the company has invested massively in human resource development.

On human capital development, Gwamna was once quoted as saying, “Any investment in training personnel is an investment for organisational growth. This is because as the training enhances the capacity and competence levels of the staff, they will have no problems with the ‘what, how, why and when’ of doing their jobs and that promotes efficiency and effectiveness.”

KEDCO while engaging in building staff’s capacity through regular training and re-training, the company has recruited over 2,500 staff with diverse skills and experience to deliver KEDCO’s service promise.

Another milestone achievement that has set KEDCO on a path that challenges the future is the massive infrastructural and overwhelming expansionary revolution in network. In that regard, KEDCO has invested over N5.1 billion in network, metering and improving work environment.

In every business, the customer is king and therefore all this is to ensure that the company’s numerous customers get satisfaction in a manner that befits their demand. Power is vital in any economy that hopes to grow its manufacturing sector as well as other sectors for the wellbeing of the people.

In a bid to further strengthen and sustain all these laid down business principles, KEDCO has embarked on massive equipment acquisition and repairs. In fact, numerous transformers and utility vehicles have been procured to effectively respond to the demands of both the workers and the company’s teeming customers.

Today, due to the unmatchable efforts and commitments of the management, the percentage of grid energy received by the company has in recent times been jerked up while over 300 kilometres of new distribution lines were added to KEDCO’s network. The company has also mapped 33KV lines, 11KV lines and distribution transformers in collaboration with World Bank using GIS to aid planning.

Under the able leadership of Dr. Jamil Gwamna, the most important philosophy that drives the jet of KEDCO is the fact that the company’s customers over the years have remained our target for satisfaction and maximum service delivery and we have proven that, on several occasions.

To cap it all, the successes recorded by KEDCO, is justifying the fact that the federal government policies on power privatisation is working and it’s also sustainable. This feat did not happen by chance but by a dint of hard work, resilience, and commitment by the entire management and other key stakeholders.

Nasiru writes from Abuja

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