The Nigerian Association for Energy Economics (NAEE), yesterday, in Abuja, said that access to electricity was becoming a luxury in Nigeria, a development that marked a departure from the global aspiration that targets electricity access for all.
Speaking ahead of the association’s 16th yearly conference, President of NAEE, Prof. Yinka Omorogbe (SAN), said the state of electricity in the country was worrisome.
Stating that the stakeholders at the conference would focus on ‘Energy Evolution, Transition and Reform: Prospects for African Economies’, Omorogbe said that energy evolution and transition remain sacrosanct for the economies of African countries.
While the population of Africa is projected to more than double in the coming decade, the region has the largest population without access to grid connected.
Omorogbe said that the electricity generation target in the country was ridiculous, stressing that it was out of place for the country to still be setting a 20,000 megawatts target and delivering less than 4,000 megawatts.
Noting that the challenges of transmission infrastructure must be addressed, Omorogbe said that Nigeria must explore renewable options and off-grid solutions as all the citizens could not be connected to the grid. She, however, noted that the county has not done things in a holistic manner to address its energy crisis.
“When you are talking about electricity, you have to be talking about electricity for everybody and every type of industry. Here, we are treating it like a product for the elite,” Omorogbe said.
She said that the subsidy regime in Nigeria benefitted a few and did not favour the masses, which it was intended for. Omorogbe said that numerous experts, professionals, industry players, petroleum and energy regulators, business moguls, eminent personalities and well-to-do Nigerians would attend the conference scheduled to hold on Monday, July 10, to share ideas, deliberate on salient issues as well as current energy challenges and proffer far-reaching solutions.
This year’s opening ceremony would be chaired by the Chief Executive, Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), Gbenga Komolafe, while the welcome remarks will be given by Omorogbe.
The President of the International Association for Energy Economics (IAEE), Prof. Jean-Michael Glachant will give the opening speech, while the Secretary General, African Petroleum Producers Organisation, Omar Farouk Ibrahim, will deliver the keynote address.
