Abba Aliyu, managing director of the Rural Electrification Agency (REA), says no fewer than 40 per cent of Nigerians still lack reliable electricity.

Mr Aliyu said this on Wednesday in Lagos at a public lecture organised by the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) Lagos Chapel.

He was represented at the event by the director, corporate services, REA, Ayodele Gboyega.

Mr Aliyu said Nigeria’s energy future should not be centred solely on crude oil, refineries and other petroleum assets.

“Energy security is not only about what happens in oil and refineries,” he said.

He said electricity access could be improved through mini-grids, solar hybrid systems and productive-use energy solutions.

According to him, decentralised renewable energy could provide power to communities and businesses beyond the reach of the national grid.

He said reliable electricity could support cold storage, irrigation, small-scale manufacturing and other commercial activities in underserved communities.

“The REA is mandated to expand electricity access in unserved and underserved communities through sustainable and renewable energy solutions.”

Mr Aliyu said energy access should be treated as an economic policy rather than charity.

“Energy access is economic policy, not charity,” he said.

He said Nigeria’s decentralised renewable-energy sector needed stable policies and regulations to attract investment and sustain projects over the long term.

According to him, political and economic uncertainty could affect community-level energy projects through their impact on investment, pricing and project sustainability.

Mr Aliyu said partnerships with development institutions and private investors could help mobilise finance, technology and expertise for renewable-energy projects.

He cited the Nigerian Electrification Programme and Distributed Access Through Renewable Energy Scale as examples of initiatives aimed at expanding electricity access.

The REA boss urged the media to report rural energy developments and their economic impact, rather than focusing mainly on pipelines, vandalism and fuel-related issues.

He said improved reporting could draw attention to communities where electricity access was improving and those still facing challenges.

Ayodele Oni, an energy lawyer, said Nigeria should use its oil and gas resources to build an economy less vulnerable to fluctuations in the petroleum sector.

Mr Oni said investment in electricity and other productive sectors could support economic diversification and reduce dependence on oil.

Also, the director-general of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Kashifu Abdullahi, said digital technology and data could improve transparency and efficiency in the energy sector.

Mr Abdullahi was represented by the director of corporate communications and media relations, National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), Deborah Dada.

Abdullahi urged journalists to use digital tools responsibly, while fact-checking information and reporting developments affecting citizens.

Edu Inyang, the national president, Nigerian Association of Liquefied Petroleum Gas Marketers, said unreliable and expensive energy could push households and businesses towards the use of firewood and charcoal.

Mr Inyang said such a shift could worsen health and environmental problems and undermine efforts to expand access to cleaner cooking fuels.

The three-day symposium brought together media executives and energy stakeholders to examine the impact and role of politics on oil, gas, the economy and the media.

(NAN)