On Friday 24 May 2024, Development Agenda Magazine, supported by Ford Foundation, organized a one-day symposium on Energy Transition at the Shehu Musa Yar Adua Conference Centre, Abuja. It had as its theme, “Energy Transition in an Oil-Dependent Economy”. The symposium, which commenced with remarks by the Director, West Africa Office of the Ford Foundation, Dr Chichi Aniagolu-Okoye, brought together more than 400 participants, including senior government officials, legislators, MDAs, higher institutions, research institutions, civil society, community representatives, women groups, young people, and the media, among others, with the discussions centering on the nation’s lingering energy crisis, its causes, gaps, and the need as well as the know-how to transition to net-zero emissions. It also addressed the need for socially equitable approaches to energy transition in the quest to build sustainable power systems to drive development and sustainable economic growth. The Symposium was also graced by representatives of Vice President Kashim Shettima and Minister of State, Petroleum Resources (Gas), Hon. Ekperikpe Ekpo. The symposium provided the opportunity for participants to learn and understand inherent challenges related to energy transition in an oil-dependent economy such as Nigeria, as well as the need for the nation to embark on this journey to address her energy poverty and tackle the climate change imbroglio. Two distinguished resource persons who are subject matter experts through scholarship and practice led discussions, and they include: 1. Prof Barth Nnaji, former Minister of Power and Founder/Chairman, Geometric Power Limited. 2. Prof Chukwumerije Okereke, Director, Centre of Climate Change and Development, Alex Ekwueme Federal University, Ndufu-Alike, Ikwo, Ebonyi State. These Presentations were followed by Panel Discussion Sessions.
In the course of the workshop, the following were observed:
1. Fossil fuel / Oil and gas has shaped Nigeria’s society for more than a century. Indeed, the Nigerian economy is driven by fossil fuels.
2. Reliance on oil over the decades has fueled the Nigerian economy, provided jobs, and driven infrastructure development.
3. However, this dependency also presents vulnerabilities such as volatility in oil prices, geopolitical risks, and environmental concerns.
4. The theme of the symposium aptly captures the essence of the challenges faced by Nigeria, and the opportunities that lie ahead.
5. Nigeria is not only a leading oil producer but also a country with huge proven reserves of gas resources.
6. Natural gas stands out as a transitional fuel that can bridge the gap between Nigeria’s current reliance on oil and the future dominated by renewables.
7. Nigeria is blessed with abundant renewable energy resources, which should be harnessed to reduce the nation’s energy footprint and build a resilient energy system.
8. Achieving an effective energy transition requires the support and active participation of all stakeholders, including the public, private sector, and civil society.
9. Energy transition is a global challenge that requires global solutions. The path to a sustainable energy future is challenging.
10. Energy Transition has opportunities and risks, in the area of job creation and job loss, as well as security of lives and property. We need a transition that is just and addresses the needs of the people.
11. There is a lot of insincerity in the Western demand that the world should transition to so-called clean energy. The pledge to phase out fossil fuels has since been shown to be unrealistic to countries that want to stop the production of internal combustion engines.
12. Nigeria has the ambition to achieve net zero by 2060 and it hopes to be able to maximize its petroleum resources before then.
13. Nigerian universities are paying huge sums as energy bills and there is a need to find ways to address this.
14. This is no time to talk about energy transition because Nigeria is in a state of energy desperation.
15. To transit, Nigeria needs to diversify, decentralize the energy structure, and allow each region to play to its strength.
16. The Nigerian youth can provide solutions to the challenges being faced in the energy sector.
17. Nigeria has not started polluting and we should not be blackmailed into accepting that we are polluters.
18. Nigerians like to point fingers at the government, while failing to recognize that the government is itself in flux as leaders of government change.
19. Nigeria has so many policies, but we appear to be unable to make any work for us.
Women, from pollution while cooking, are mostly at the receiving end of dirty energy and air pollution, which is detrimental to their health.
Participants therefore recommended the following:
1. Need for the government to develop the nation’s gas infrastructure and phase out flaring, generate cleaner energy, and create jobs.
2. Need for Nigeria to diversify her energy portfolio to achieve a sustainable energy future, by increasing investments in renewable energy sources such as solar, wind, and hydropower.
3. Need to adopt cutting-edge technologies. From smart grids and energy storage solutions to carbon capture and utilization technologies, innovation will play a pivotal role in enhancing energy efficiency, reducing emissions, and lowering costs.
4. Need to create an enabling environment through robust policies and regulations, by implementing frameworks that encourage investments in renewable energy, provide incentives for clean energy projects, and ensure a just transition for all stakeholders involved, especially those whose livelihoods depend on the oil sector. 5. Need to raise awareness about the benefits of clean energy in both the urban and rural communities to foster a collaborative approach to the nation’s energy challenges.
6. Need for Nigeria to strengthen its partnership with international organizations, development partners, and other countries to share knowledge, access funding, and build capacity.
7. Need for Nigeria to invest its energy and funds in gas development to become a powerful nation and ignore the prescription of the West.
8. To effectively transit, Nigeria should think homeward; own and drive our energy transition process, and resist any Western imposition.
9. Need to increase the power being generated to improve quality of life, cut costs, and ease the burden on the citizenry.
10. Need to lay less emphasis on expatriate workers and ensure that community knowledge must be recognized and made central to energy transition plans.
11. Need to guard against loss of culture and livelihoods from energy transition technology.
12. Need to stop the importation of solar panels or batteries, etc., and ensure that they are manufactured locally and patronized.
13. Need for Nigeria to adopt the concept of “Energeocracy”, which is the energy of the people by the people and for the people. For this, private partnerships should be encouraged.
14. Ensure that the transition is not business as usual and that the transition is of benefit to all and not just the rich.
15. Need for Nigeria to work on the policy execution process to benefit from the many renewable energy sources open to us.
16. Need to make women advocates of renewable energy and be especially encouraged to actively participate in the transition process and benefit from it.
17. Need to make the media active participants in the energy transition process. Journalists need to be trained and retrained to explain the energy transition process to the people and to offer criticism to officials and the powerful on their actions.
18. Need for the transition to be just and equitable. Need for a level playing field. Need for all social forces to come together to develop a workable energy transition policy.
19. Need for the government to start with the low-hanging fruits and gradually wean Nigerians off fossil and other dirty fuels.
20. Need to develop technology and other solutions that are specific to Nigeria. Also, appropriate technology must be sourced from all over the world and localized.
In conclusion, participants at the one-day Energy Transition Symposium thanked Development Agenda Magazine, ClassMasters Limited and Ford Foundation for putting this well-organized high-level symposium together, especially as the country has taken up an energy transition drive to achieve net-zero emission by 2060. Participants also thanked Vice President Kashim Shettima and Minister of State, Petroleum Resources (Gas), Hon. Ekperikpe Ekpo, and Prof. Bart Nnaji for gracing the occasion and offering to champion the Energy Transition course by the government in Nigeria.
PADDY EZEALA BA, MA, FIMC, CMC, ANIPR
PUBLISHER/EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
paddy.ezeala@developmentagenda.com.ng
+2348023061283, +2348050559960
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