To construct electric tricycles and set up a training facility for renewable energy, the Federal Government of Nigeria and Mutual Commitment Company Limited, a Chinese company, have signed a Memorandum of Understanding.
Adebayo Adelabu, the minister of power, and Mr. Abba Aliyu, the managing director of REA, were present at the Memorandum of Understanding signing event, which was supported by the Rural Electrification Agency.
The occasion happened in Beijing the night before the African-China Cooperation Summit’s opening ceremony.
Adelabu stated that Nigeria will remember this day because of the significance of the MoU ceremony. He praised the event and the REA and the National Power Training Institute of Nigeria, noting that it will help realise Nigeria’s goal for the renewable energy sub-sector of the whole value chain of the power sector.
Adelabu continued: “I know Nigeria and China have a lot of things in common, one of which is the fact that Nigeria and China are both high-population countries and with a country with a high population, you have so much pressure.
“The first pressure is that of energy access and the second is job creation. So when you take steps to achieve both, it is a thing of joy. I am particularly happy that this is happening during the tenure of President Bola Tinubu, as it is in line with achieving the Renewed Hope Agenda of the administration for the country,” he added.
According to the minister, Tinubu has made the electricity industry his top priority because it powers all other important economic sectors.
He reveals: “We have relied so much on centralisation of our power sector for so long that it is not taking us anywhere.”
According to Adelabu, about 40% of Nigerians live without access to energy, which has negative effects.
He had this to say: “So, moving away from centralisation, we have decided to adopt the distributed power model to ensure that every Nigerian has access to energy. A lot of our population resides in rural areas, a lot of our educational and tertiary health institutions are isolated and they are still facing epileptic power supply.
“We have also found out that the adoption of the distributed energy model will expand the energy net for our rural dwellers, the rural businesses, our universities, and tertiary health institutions; which is why the focus is on renewable energy which we believe is scalable and can exist in isolation of national grid that is currently facing lots of pressure,” he added.
He mentioned that Nigeria needs to switch to greener, more environmentally friendly energy sources as it keeps increasing access to energy.
He declared that the Memorandum of Understanding would realise the goal for the electricity sector’s renewable energy subsector, BrandSpur national news reports.
According to him: “We will be able to produce jobs for our large youthful population that is growing every day. Our polytechnics, technical colleges, and universities are turning up graduates yearly without assurance of job placement. This will go a long way to make it happen, at the same time, we will be able to achieve our energy access expansion.”
He pointed out that 95% of South Africa’s population is electrified, compared to 100% in northern African nations like Tunisia, Morocco, Egypt, and Algeria.
Speaking further, he said: “Unfortunately, Nigeria is still at 62 per cent, though there are still some African countries with worse levels of achievements, but this is not where we belong. If these countries can achieve this, why is it not possible for Nigeria with the level of our natuSeeSeeral endowment? We have the gas, the dams are also there for the hydropower electric. The wind, both desert and coastal, is there while sunshine is also effective. So, what are we waiting for?
“A step like today’s will enable us to move up on our level of electrification. This will consequently lead to growth in our Gross Domestic Product because of the economic activities that would be created. This will also save us foreign exchange expenditure on importation and create jobs for our people, if we assemble these things locally,” he added.
However, Aliyu, head of REA had earlier claimed that the event may fulfil the president’s directive to increase employment and strengthen local capability.
According to Aliyu: “We will track this and ensure the delivery of the commitment within the tenure of the present administration. We will also track the economic factor that this initiative will drive, the level of GDP contribution, the employment opportunities provided, and the socio-economic activities that will crystallise.”
Continuing, Aliyu stated that the MCC is now building 12 MW and 3 MW power plants in Maiduguri and Kaduna, Nigeria, respectively.
Through an interpreter, MCC Vice Chairman, Yan Zhezhu thanked the power minister for his dedication to Nigeria’s energy development.
Zhezhu disclosed: “We are not new to Nigeria, having started in Oyo State a long time ago. Presently, we have ongoing projects in Maiduguri and Kaduna and we appreciate the cooperation we have so far received. Our projects have seen us working with states and the Federal Government in Nigeria and we are committed to do more.”
