Stakeholders Insist Nigeria Must Consider Local Priorities in Executing Energy Transition Plan

Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja

Various stakeholders, including the Nigerian Extractives Industry Transparency Initiative (NEITI) and the Natural Resource Governance Institute (NGRI) have stressed that Nigeria’s pledge for transitioning away from fossil fuel must be balanced with local aspirations and priorities.

 In a communiqué made available in Abuja after the one-day dialogue on the global energy transition hosted by the NEITI, NRGI and BudgIT Foundation, stakeholders noted that a decline in fossil fuel consumption globally would be detrimental to Nigeria’s economy, with negative implications for livelihoods, as women and other vulnerable groups bear the brunt.

The participants said it was critical for the plan to be responsive to the Nigerian context and the realities of the Nigerian people face.

The groups also decried the non-alignment of the Nigerian energy transition plan with the national development plan and Medium Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF), noting that it could pose an impediment to its implementation.

Other challenges, they stated, include lack of adequate infrastructure, connectivity and cost-reflective framework, which could threaten the successful implementation of the natural gas ambitions under the energy transition plan.

At the end of the dialogue, participants urged the government and other stakeholders to ensure that the plan translates into an implementable action plan which is inclusive.

The dialogue also stressed the need to operate the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) to facilitate the use of gas as a transition fuel and decarbonisation, while the federal government should be explicit on the delivery mechanism of the energy transition and how the green economy would translate to job creation for Nigerians.