The Nigeria Atomic Energy Commission (NAEC), in collaboration with the Centre for Energy Research and Training (CERT), Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria, will deploy nuclear science and technology to strengthen electric power generation in Nigeria.

NAEC chair Yusuf-Aminu Ahmed said this on Thursday during the 20th anniversary symposium of Nigeria’s first Nuclear Research Reactor (NNR-1) in Zaria.

Mr Ahmed said the experience developed over the years on nuclear power at the centre makes Nigeria ripe and ready to go into the next level of power generation through the nuclear reactor.

The NAEC chief said, “We have used the reactor for research and development over the years and now we are going to use the reactor for the purpose of generating electricity.

“President Bola Tinubu has already given the commission a mandate to see how it contributes to the clean energy sphere of Nigeria and the nuclear energy programme of Nigeria would participate.”

He explained that the project’s time would not be open to the public; however, Ahmed added that international partners and vendors were working closely with the commission on the project.

He also mentioned that intergovernmental agreements were signed with some vendors on nuclear power in Nigeria, and President Bola Tinubu would soon announce that.

George Akume, secretary to the government of the federation, said the 20 years of safe operation of the nuclear research reactor indicated that Nigeria had joined the campaign for the safe application of nuclear energy.

Mr Akume added that since the centre had safely operated the nuclear research reactor for 20 years, it can also obtain a nuclear reactor for electricity generation.

According to him, the process of having a reactor that would generate electricity is similar to operating a nuclear research reactor.

“President Tinubu has re-echoed the need for having nuclear energy into the sources of electric power generation in Nigeria and Nigerians should look forward to this power. Electricity generated through nuclear energy is clean and safe except for human errors or natural causes such as the one that happened in Hiroshima,” Mr Akume said.

The centre’s director, Sunday Jonah, said the event was to celebrate 20 years of safe operation, maintenance, and utilisation of the first Nuclear Research Reactor, code-named NNR-1.

However, despite the numerous gains at the centre over the years, Mr Jonah lamented over a plot by NAEC to wrest the centre from the university through the proposed NAEC Bill 2022.

He explained that such a move would negate the dreams of the founding fathers who established the centre in universities. 

(NAN)