….A Seasoned Public Policy Advisor and Development Strategist

Dr. Akinola has over 30 years of experience in public service, international development, and strategic governance, specializing in agricultural development, sustainable economic growth, and policy implementation across Nigeria and West Africa.

2. Holds Prestigious Academic Credentials from Global Institutions. He earned a Ph.D. in Agricultural Extension from the University of Ibadan and a master’s in public policy & administration from Harvard Kennedy School, where he was an Edward S. Mason Fellow.

He also studied at Cambridge, Cranfield, and MIT, gaining advanced expertise in cross-sector partnerships, enterprise development, and conflict resolution.

3. Instrumental in the Formation of the SWDC and the DAWN Commission

Long before his nomination, Dr. Akinola played a key role in founding the Development Agenda for Western Nigeria (DAWN) Commission for regional integration. He was deeply involved in shaping the vision of the SWDC.

As Chairman of the Technical Committee under the Southwest Governors’ Forum, he led the review of the SWDC Bill and coordinated regional consensus on development priorities.

4. Former Chief of Staff in Both Federal and State Governments, He served as Chief of Staff to the Governor of Osun State (2018–2022) and later as Chief of Staff to the Minister of Marine & Blue Economy, His Excellency Adegboyega Oyetola (CON), while also acting as Senior Special Assistant on Marine and Blue Economy to President Tinubu.

These roles gave him frontline experience in both subnational and national policy execution.

5. A Leader in Community Engagement and Sustainable Development, Dr. Akinola has worked with major oil & gas companies, including WAPco, designing sustainable livelihood programs across Nigeria and the Gulf of Guinea. His contributions helped establish the Global Memorandum of Understanding (GMoUs) as an industry benchmark for community development in the Niger Delta.

6. Active Global Policy Thought Leader.

He is a member of the Dean’s Council at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government and was a Fellow at Harvard’s Weatherhead Centre for International Affairs. His thought leadership focuses on governance, economic innovation, and institutional reform.

7. Arts Collector

Dr. Akinola is a lover of the arts and culture, collects works of indigenous artists, such as Jimoh Buraimoh, Demas Nwoko, Tola Wewe, Nike Okundaye, among others.

*Career Highlights*

• Dr. Charles Akindiji Akinola is a Public Policy Advisor and Administrator whose work has traversed the agricultural and agribusiness, sustainable community economic development, international affairs, and development sectors, developing strategies that shape policy implementation.

• Dr. Akinola holds a Ph. D. in Agricultural Extension from the University of Ibadan, and a master’s degree in public policy & administration from the Harvard Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University.

• He also holds a Postgraduate Certificate in Cross-Sector Partnerships from the University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK, and attended certificate courses in Enterprise Development and Management from Cranfield University, Cranfield UK, and in Negotiation, Mediation, and Dispute Resolution from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Boston, USA.

• Until recently, Dr. Akinola was Senior Special Assistant to the President on Marine & Blue Economy and concurrently, Chief of Staff to the Honourable Minister.

• He served as the Chief of Staff to the Governor of Osun State between 2018 and 2022. During his tenure, he supported the Governor in developing and implementing policy objectives and strategic and operational plans of the administration.

• As Chief of Staff, the Southwest Governors Forum appointed Dr. Akinola as the Chairman of the Technical Committee to review the South-West Development Commission (SWDC) Bill and aggregated the position of the six Southwest States towards a joint memorandum to the Governors and subsequently to the National Assembly.

• He has worked with major oil & gas companies within and outside Nigeria including the West African Gas Pipeline (WAGP) / West Africa Gas Pipeline Company (WAPco) covering Nigeria, Republic du Benin, Togo, and Ghana by designing and implementing programs that addressed issues of Sustainable Development and Livelihoods in the Niger Delta and West Africa region.

• He advised and collaborated with International Oil companies in the development of the New Community Engagement Strategy, premised on the Participatory Regional Development Model (2005), guided by the Global Memorandum of Understanding (GMoUs). The model was adopted as the industry standard in Community engagement and development by the joint ventures of the National Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation and the Oil companies in the Niger Delta.

• In previous roles, Dr. Akinola was the Director General of the Office of Economic Development and Partnerships (OEDP) between 2011 and 2018. The OEDP was the strategic Think Tank, Policy Advisory, and Implementation agency domiciled in the Office of the Governor. Dr. Akinola played a central role in the activities leading to the establishment of the Development Agenda of Western Nigeria (DAWN) Commission.

• He was Chairman of the Osun State Planning Commission between 2011-2014 and in this capacity collaborated with leading development partners to deliver sustainable development in the State.

• Dr. Akinola was the Founder and Executive Director of Enterprise for Development International (EfDI) between 1999 and 2009. In this role, he coordinated EfDI’s varied consultancy assignments in community economic development in Nigeria, including the expansion of EfDI’s portfolio of development activities in the Niger Delta and the strengthening of local institutions.

• Between 2001 and 2005, Dr. Akinola was the National Coordinator of the Sustainable Tree Crop Program (STCP), a multi-agency, public-private sector effort to facilitate the improvement of smallholder agricultural systems based on tree crops in West Africa with funding from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Chocolate Industry Worldwide.

• Between 1993 and 1998, Dr. Akinola was the Nigeria Country Director of TechnoServe, a US-based international development organisation that worked in 17 countries in Africa, Latin America, and Eastern Europe.

• He taught at the University of Ibadan in Nigeria from 1984 until 1989 and was on the training and research faculty of the Pan African Institute for Development (PAID) in Buea, Cameroon 1990.

• Dr. Akinola was an Edward S. Mason Fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government and, subsequently, a Fellow at the Harvard Weatherhead Centre for International Affairs (WCFIA). His work focused on Innovation for Economic Development and Governance between 2009 and 2011.

• He is currently a member of the Harvard Kennedy School of Government Dean’s Council.

The Senate has passed the final two of the four major tax reform bills, completing clause-by-clause consideration as it aims to modernise Nigeria’s tax administration framework.

During Wednesday’s plenary, lawmakers began deliberation on the reports of the four executive-sponsored tax bills, successfully passing two and deferring the remaining two to Thursday.

However, all four have now been approved.

The bills include the Joint Revenue Board Establishment Bill, the Nigeria Revenue Service Establishment Bill, the Nigeria Tax Administration Bill, and the Nigeria Tax Bill.

“These four executive bills seek to transform and modernise the tax system in Nigeria,” the Senate stated during the session.

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The following passage, a conference committee has been constituted to harmonise the versions with the House of Representatives. Once aligned, the bills will be forwarded to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for his assent.

The House of Representatives has launched an investigation into the disbursement and utilisation of the N200 billion Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) loan allocated for the National Mass Metering Programme (NMMP) to Electricity Distribution Companies (DISCOs).

This was disclosed by the Chairman of the House Committee on Public Assets, Rep. Uchenna Okonkwo, in a statement issued on Wednesday in Abuja, the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports.

He confirmed that a 19-member sub-committee had been inaugurated to probe the matter thoroughly.

The NMMP, initiated in 2020, was designed to provide free electricity meters to Nigerian consumers through the Licensed Electricity Distribution Companies (DISCOs).

The programme was a joint initiative of the CBN, the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC), and other stakeholders in the Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry (NESI). It aimed to eliminate estimated billing, improve transparency in energy usage, and enhance customer satisfaction.

NMMP expected to be launched in three phases
The rep said that the programme was to be implemented in three phases to ensure the reduction of collection losses and improve market remittances in the industry.

“Under the pilot phase of the programme’s implementation, CBN commenced with the sum of N59.280 billion for procurement and installation of one million meters in 2020 at an interest rate of 9 per cent after a two year moratorium.

“Preliminary research on the NMMP has shown that instead of the pronounced amount of N59.280 billion naira for the phase 0, what was released was N55.4 billion for procurement and installation of 962,832 meters instead of one million meters pronounced by CBN,” he noted.

Furthermore, concerns have been raised regarding repayment. The committee noted discrepancies in the repayment of the funds by the DISCOs.

According to Okonkwo, “Research has also shown that what the eleven Electricity Distribution Companies who received the loan have paid back to CBN as refund for the N54.4 billion they received in 2020 without mentioning the 9 per cent interest on the loan.”

The lawmaker added that the subsequent phases of the programme, which were expected to significantly expand metering across the country, have stalled. Phase 1, which was to be funded by the CBN and Deposit Money Banks (DMBs) for 1.5 million meters, and Phase 2, expected to be financed by the World Bank for four million meters, have yet to take off.

He said that the House, exercising its constitutional powers under Sections 88(1) and (2) of the 1999 Constitution, resolved to investigate the matter with a view to safeguarding public interest.

The sub-committee is expected to scrutinise all aspects of the NMMP funding, from disbursement and meter procurement to distribution and repayment mechanisms.

The 19-member committee comprises Rep. Obed Shehu, Rep. Ali Shettima, Rep. Abel Fuah, Rep. Salisu Koko, Rep. Ahmed Munir, Rep. Sani Umar Bala, Rep. Gbefwi Jonathan, Rep. Abdulmaleek Danga, Rep. Chinedu Obika, and Rep. Okunlola Lanre.

Other members include Rep. Abass Adekunle, Rep. Akinosi Akanni, Rep. Obuzor Victor, Rep. Peter Akpanke, Rep. Ngozi Lawrence, Rep. Ogah Amobi Godwin, and Rep. Ikeagwuonu Onyinye, among others.

The NMMP was expected to be a game-changer in Nigeria’s power sector by reducing estimated billing, enhancing energy accountability, and restoring consumer trust.

However, the current revelations point to implementation failures and possible mismanagement of public funds.

Analysts believe that the outcome of the House probe could lead to reforms in electricity metering policy and strengthen regulatory oversight of loan disbursements to DISCOs.