Stakeholders Lament Nigeria’s Power, Gas Supply Crises
Emmanuel Addeh in Abuja
Players in the energy sector have lamented that despite Nigeria’s enormous natural and human resources, it’s unable to supply electricity to over half of its population and clean up the downstream of its oil and gas industry.
The stakeholders spoke at the 2023 World Energy Day celebration organised by the Nigerian Association of Energy Economics (NAEE) and Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE) in Abuja, themed: “Energising Nigeria’s Future: Bridging Energy Aspirations and Realities.”
President of NAEE, Prof. Yinka Omorogbe, who advocated an excellent energy mix as essential to energising Nigeria, argued that the country must deal with its present day harsh realities in the energy sector to make any progress.
”And the present day reality is that half of Nigeria does not have any electricity at all. We have a poor system when it comes to downstream products. We are a significant producer and a major downstream products importer,” she lamented.
Also speaking, the Executive Secretary of the Petroleum Technology Development Fund (PTDF), Ahmed Aminu, said that this year’s theme spoke directly to the call of the country’s shared global challenges and opportunities.
”I am particularly enthusiastic about this conference’s role in shaping the future of energy and transportation. This event engenders a dynamic and insightful dialogue among industry players, policymakers, and entrepreneurs,” he said.
In a keynote address, the Director of Programmes, Clean Tech Hub Nigeria, Doosughun Takur, emphasised the importance of moving away from fossil fuels to gas, and then transition to full renewable energy.
She argued that Nigeria has the world’s largest energy access deficit, with over 90 million people lacking access to electricity, meaning that the country has one of the worst performing national grids in Africa.
“It is therefore the largest importer of petrol and diesel generators in sub-Saharan Africa. The country accounts for 3 million out of 6.5 million generators used in sub-Saharan Africa and individuals and businesses spend $22 billion annually to fuel these generators, ”she added.
