Efficient Energy Utilization-A Sustainable Development Tool in Nigeria
Nigeria’s economic growth and development are essentially centred on efficient energy harnessing. Energy has a dominant role to play in Nigeria’s international diplomacy and also generates wealth for the exchequer in the capacity of a tradable commodity. Government’s development programs are driven by this income.
Energy sources
Eco energy in Nigeria is sourced through coal, natural gas, biomass, petroleum, nuclear fuel etc. Hydrocarbon compounds i.e. fossil fuels are most widely used. Nature has richly endowed Nigeria with eco energy sources. Crude oil reserves are the tenth largest in the world at around 36 billion barrels. The natural gas reserve is about 166 trillion standard cubic feet. Nigeria also boasts of 2 billion tonnes of coal reserves. The hydropower potential of the country is about 10,000 MW. Other energy reserves are also present in significant amounts.
One can only awe at the munificence of nature and then lament over the deplorable poverty under which Nigeria is reeling. The only way out of this crisis is to chalk out a comprehensive and pragmatic strategy to optimally harness the energy with proven eco energy solutions in Nigeria.
Sustainable development
Nigeria’s chief constraint in becoming a self-sufficient energy state is it’s limited technological capacity. Industrialization constitutes a crucial leverage for meaningful growth. Judicious exploitation of natural resources is incumbent on efficient energy utilization wherein wastage is scoped out. Researchers, industrialists, government organizations and other stakeholders should concur on taking advantage of energy efficient measures of low level and risk but of high worth.
The resultant energy efficient culture would seamlessly accommodate high technology driven production processes as a mature driver of sustainable development for the country. Researches have revealed that the ratio of energy availability and end use efficiency in Nigeria is merely half of the standards viewed by industrialized nations as acceptable and sustainable. This sorry picture can be altered with the massive integration of efficient eco energy solutions at each level in Nigeria’s overall industrialization and allied scenarios. Else, the country runs the risk of depleting the energy resources in an uneconomical manner to the point that the exploration for further resources would be deemed worthless.
