Stakeholders in the energy sector have reiterated the importance of ensuring an inclusive, energised Nigeria.

They spoke at an event commemorating the 2023 World Energy Day organised by the Nigerian Association of Energy Economics on Thursday in Abuja.

The stakeholders, who, though, acknowledged the government’s efforts targeted toward energy transition, said a lot more still needed to be done.

Yinka Omorogbe, President of the Nigeria Association of Energy Economics, welcomed participants and reiterated the need for energised Nigerian youths.

According to her, the majority of Nigeria’s population is the youth. Therefore, the youth need to be included to help drive the nation’s economy.

Ms Omorogbe said an excellent energy mix was essential if we were talking about energising the whole of Nigeria.

She said that based on the event’s theme, you could not aspire and succeed unless you dealt with present-day realities.

“And the present-day reality is that half of Nigeria does not have any electricity at all. We have a poor system when it comes to downstream products. We are a significant producer and a major downstream importer,” Ms Omorogbe explained.

She added, “If you now go into clean cooking, you will find that only about 20 per cent of Nigeria is utilising clean cooking fuel. What this means is that there is a significant deficit, but excitingly, if you are a business person, there are great opportunities for you.”

She said, as government officials, it was an opportunity to make Nigeria great by creating an enabling environment for Nigeria in all these areas. Ms Omorogbe also mentioned that there was a lot of room, and more could be done to make Nigeria a favourable investment climate and push CNG and LPG.

“A lot is being done already, but a lot more needs to be done, especially once we realise that time is no longer on our side with all the different initiatives there are,” Ms Omorogbe stressed. “Also, considering that we are a growing nation, the problem will only worsen if we do not work on our challenges.”

Ms Omorogbe then acknowledged the Niger Delta Power Company, saying it was their donation that had continued to sustain this conference over the years.

The executive secretary of the Petroleum Technology Development Fund (PTDF), Ahmed Aminu, said this year’s theme spoke directly to the call of our shared global challenges and opportunities.

(NAN)