Imo State Government has appointed a new czar for power and rural electrification in line with the Governor Emeka Ihedioha’s campaign promise to provide power and electricity to the rural communities.
He is Dr. Albert Ogugua Okorogu who was until recently, the Executive Director, Networks, Niger Delta Power Holding Company (NDPHC) Limited, the special purpose vehicle for Nigeria National Integrated Power Projects (NIPP). He is the Director General of the newly created Imo State Power and Rurual Electrification Agency (I-POREA).
Okorogu has over 25 years of technical and management experience spanning Transmission Management, Power Generation, Alternative/Renewable Energy, Project Management, Energy Economics, Electromagnetics, Satellite/Aerospace Engineering, Advanced Engineering Design and Analyses, Optical communications, Fiber Optics and LASERs.
As the Executive Director, he oversaw NIPP’s Environment/Community Relations (Wayleave), Transmission and Distribution Networks across the country, he also managed the company’s Information Technology (IT) and Documentation Departments.
He was a key strategic coordinator who in 2013 leading to 2014, conceptualized, designed and implemented the Operation Light-up Rural Nigeria (OLRN) Initiative, a Sustainable Alternative Energy Rural Electrification Program of the Federal Ministry of Power, based primarily on solar technology, to provide affordable and reliable access to electricity of up to 1 megawatt (MW) per rural community with no connectivity to the national grid in Nigeria.
As the National Coordinator of Operation Lightup Nigeria Initiative, he managed the challenges hindering the implementation of Renewable Energy/Energy Efficiency in Nigeria, from concepts to reality.
He also served as the Senior Special Assistant (SSA) to the Honorable Minister of Power on Access-to-Power/Renewable Energy, Federal Ministry of Power, advising the Honorable Minister on major operations associated with requisite long-term strategic solutions that further the vision of
the Power Sector Transformation Agenda and Access-to-power expansion of electricity to all Nigerians.
In his role as an SSA, he developed policies, guidelines and regulatory frameworks to ensure full implementation of alternative/renewable energy and rural electrification in Nigeria. Previously, Okorogu held progressively responsible positions in a variety of United States corporations, leading United States Defense-related outfits through growth modes.
He headed the New Optics and Holographic group at the Aerospace Corporation, a United States Air Force Federally Funded Research and Development Center, where he led a group of scientists and Engineers to develop a variety holographic optics for a host of engineering and “classified” space applications; e.g. for Wireless Solar Power Generation and Transmission – Solar Spectral Camouflage for Battlefield, Solar Power Enhancer (SPE); High-power Fiber Laser applications – High Power Fiber Laser Couplers, Lightweight Optical Antenna, LIDAR, and Laser Acoustic Defectometer for infrastructural monitoring, Laser Acoustic Detector for Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs), Multiple Targets Laser Designator (MTLD) for Air and Sea Environments Engagement.
He is credited with over 35 United States and International patents, and is a fellow/senior member of many professional organizations, including The International Society of Photo-Opto Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE); Optical Society of America (OSA); The American Institute of Physics (AIP); American National Society of Black Physicists (NSBP); Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE); Board member of SPIE – Practical Holography: Applications and Materials, SPIE – Photonics in Transportation Industry: Auto to Aerospace; Editorial Board member of International Journal of Information Engineering (IJIE), and Deputy Editor-in-Chief of Journal of Holography and Speckles.
The best graduating Astrophysics student from the University of Nigeria, Dr. Okorogu holds an M.Sc. in Radioastrophysics (Univ. of Nigeria); M.A. Optics (Vanderbilt Univ., Nashville, Tennessee, USA) and doctorate degree in Applied Optics – Optical Engineering with concentration in Fiber Optics and Lasers, from NASA’s Center for Applied Optics, College of Engineering &Technology of Alabama Agricultural & Mechanical University, Hunstville Alabama, USA. In addition, he holds various Postgraduate Degrees and Diplomas in Engineering and Sciences, including – Solid Engineering/Optical Instrumentation (Aerospace Institute); Aerospace Space Systems Engineering (Aerospace Institute); Project Management (Aerospace Institute); Aerospace Space Systems Architecture (Aerospace Institute), etc.
He is the recipient of several prestigious international scholarships and awards, including: 1988 UNICO/UNICEF best graduating student scholarship; 1990 Specola Vaticana (Italy); 1991 UNESCO (International Center for Theoretical Physics, Italy); 1994 United Technologies for Space (USA); 1995 International Society of Photo-Opto Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE); 2001 Top 5 Innovators Award (Terabeam Corp., USA); 2005 Best Business Development Award (Physical Optics Corporation, USA); 2009 Top 10 Inventors Award (The Aerospace Corp, US Airforce, USA).
