Eli Jidere Bala (born 19 September 1954) is a Nigerian professor of Mechanical engineering and the Director-General of the Energy Commission of Nigeria.
[1][2] He was born on 19 September 1954 in Gelengu, a city in Balanga Local Government Area of Gombe State, Nigeria.
[4][5] He later proceeded to Cranfield Institute of Technology, United Kingdom where he won a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degree in applied energy in 1984.
[6] He joined the services of Ahmadu Bello University as a graduate assistant in 1978 and was appointed Senior Lecturer in 1987 and later became a professor of applied energy in 2004.
He served as the Head of the Department of Mechanical Engineering, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria between 1991 and 1993 and was reappointed in 1997, a tenure that lasted for two years (1997-1999).