Osinbajo
NIGERIA is on the path of ensuring more access to affordable, reliable energy for its populace, as well as transitioning to the use of cleaner energy in line with the net-zero emissions global target.
But an end of international funding for gas as a fossil fuel would create dire challenges for gas-producing countries, especially in Africa, according to Vice President Yemi Osinbajo. Osinbajo stated this on Thursday during the virtual roundtable meeting of the Africa Regional Heads of Government Commonwealth Roundtable, which was chaired by His Royal Highness, the Prince of Wales.
Other African leaders at the summit included the presidents of Rwanda, Malawi, Sierra Leone, Mozambique, Botswana and Gambia.
The Commonwealth Secretary-General, the Right Honourable Patricia Scotland, QC, was also at the meeting.
The Vice President, who represented President Muhammadu Buhari at the roundtable, noted that Nigeria is already transitioning from petrol (Premium Motor Spirit) to natural gas, which is “accepted more or less as a transition fuel, the bridge to renewable energy.”
According to the vice president, Nigeria supports the goal of the Commonwealth in outlining responsible transition pathways to decarbonise and achieve net and negative zero emissions.”
He emphasised the efforts of the Buhari administration through its Economic Sustainability Plan to provide five million homes with cleaner energy through its solar power programme, as well as the Natural Gas Expansion Programme.
“We also have our natural gas expansion programme, this is where we are using Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) and Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) in order to replace the use of petrol, and this is going on now; we are actually trying to fit and retrofit existing petrol stations so that the use of cleaner fossil fuels will replace it.”
Specifically, Professor Osinbajo called on the Commonwealth to consider ways to support African countries in achieving a just transition to net-zero emissions.
The Vice President stated that, “this brings me to the questions around a just transition to net-zero emissions. And a just transition in our view is one where gas, for those who are from producing countries, as fossil fuel is still supported, especially for those of us in this part of the world that have vast deposits of the resource. Natural gas is accepted more or less as a transition fuel, the bridge to renewable energy.
“Of course, natural gas is accepted as a transition fuel. But unfortunately, what we are seeing is the move towards defunding of natural gas projects by the EU, and the World Bank has also been indicating that natural gas projects would be defunded. Now, this obviously would put countries such as ours in a very dire situation and make the transition extremely difficult for us. What we are focused on trying to do is to ensure that our gas projects replace coal and fuels.”
The Vice President, while urging for more support and cooperation from the Commonwealth, added that the Federal Government of Nigeria remains “resolutely committed to all of our national development contributions under all of our agreements, the Paris Agreement, and will support all actions that are taken along the lines of zero emissions.”
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