Hamisu Muhammad
30 June 2005
The director general, Energy Commission of Nigeria, Professor Abubakar S. Sambo, says said even as the federal government set a target of 10,000 megawatt (mw), of electricity generation by 2007, the country needs more energy sources to meet electricity demand.
He said at the moment, South Africa is generating over 40,000mw of electricity even though it has a lower demand compared to Nigeria.
Speaking to Energy correspondents in Abuja yesterday, ahead of the forthcoming public presentation of the Energy Policy Document, Prof. Sambo said "no nation can prosper economically, socially and otherwise without abundant energy supply and availability of same."
According to him, the country is lossing unquantified amount materially and socially mainly as a result of insufficient energy supply especially in the electricity sector, adding that the industries and other commercial activities will not progress to meet global competition without cheap and consistent electricity supply.
According to Sambo, the National Energy Policy is designed towards repositioning the commission for greater service to the energy sector and the economy as a whole.
He said the policy document covers the development, exploitation and supply of all the nation's energy resources, adding that, "it also covers key energy utilization sectors, energy efficiency and energy financing as well as energy policy implementation."
He said the policy which was launched last week by President Olusegun Obasanjo is to assist the commission achieveits cardinal objective of "the responsibility for the strategic planning and coordinating of national policies in the field of energy in all its ramifications."
Speaking further on the energy demand, he said, "energy demand in the country is such that so many people believe it is a suppressed demand. With the level of developmental programmes Nigeria is witnessing, you will realize that there is need for more power," he emphasised.
He said the ambition to have a private sector driven may not be reality without ample and reliable energy supply that. "Is why the country is slow in industrialization process," point out.
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