BY VESHE UGBOGBO
The Minister of Science and Technology, Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu, has advocated that Nigeria should exploit to the maximum, the full benefits of peaceful nuclear energy as both short term and long-term measures to fixing the current challenge of Nigeria’s electricity sector.
Onu made the call, when he declared open the Nigeria Energy Calculator 2050 (NECAL2050) stakeholders’ engagement, in Abuja on Thursday.
The Minister who is a Chemical Engineer and an avowed advocate of the deployment of Science Technology and Innovation (STI) for Nigeria’s accelerated growth, said if the country peacefully maximises nuclear energy, it would help build a stable power supply base and would benefit many socio-economic areas such as medicine, agriculture, education, manufacturing and overall national economic growth.
The Nigeria Energy calculator 2050, is an energy planning model which will offer choices in energy development to be examined alongside its environmental consequences.
On safety concerns on the use of nuclear energy, the Minister tasked the active participation of the organised private sector (OPS) and stakeholders to research and develop nuclear technology for the overall benefit of Nigeria.
He called on Nigeria, to partner with other countries willing to help in the development of necessary expertise in nuclear technology.
Onu called for efficient and effective use of energy resources, to guarantee rapid national industrialisation.
He said: “Nigeria has enormous energy resources, therefore the task facing us is to efficiently and effectively utilise these resources to guarantee rapid industrialisation of the nation.”
The Minister further emphasised that the nation needs a development pathway that can help the country achieve sustainable national development, adding that the nation’s factories, offices, laboratories, business and homes must have sufficient power to run them.
According to Dr. Onu, “I am optimistic that our dear nation will pursue the right combination of different sources of energy including renewable, fossil fuel as well as nuclear energy.” The Minister, said.
Earlier, the Director General (DG) of the Energy Commission of Nigeria, Prof. Eli Jidere Bala, said the United Kingdom (UK) partnered with the commission to develop the Nigeria Energy Calculator 2050 (NECAL2050), which is a key energy planning tool.
He further added, that the Nigeria Energy Calculator 2050 (NECAL2050), will help promote global warming mitigation.