We’ll give priority to renewable energy —Minister

MINISTER of Science and Technology, Dr Ogbonnaya Onu, has said that the Federal Government will give priority to renewable energy so as to improve the living standards of Nigerians.

He said this when the Local Organising Committee (LOC), National Stakeholders Forum on the Implementation of Renewable Energy Policy and Field – in Tariffs in Nigeria paid him a courtesy call in his office in Abuja.

Dr Onu stated that the change from fossil to renewable energy was informed by the need to provide power to revive our factories and build new ones in order to create, provide jobs and reduce poverty in the country.

He said that Nigeria was richly endowed with various forms of energy and that biomass was one big component as Nigeria was gearing towards converting biomass to renewable energy.

The minister assured Nigerians that his ministry was working assiduously to ensure that Nigeria became self-sufficient in rice production and other agro- products in order to achieve food security.

He hinted that a proposed workshop would help fine-tune the financial environment needed to attract investors to come and invest in renewable energy inherent in the country.

In his opening remarks, the Chairman of the Local Organising Committee (LOC), National stakeholders Forum on the Implementation of Renewable Energy Policy and Field-in Tariffs in Nigeria, Professor E. J. Bala, DG/ CEO Energy Commission of Nigeria, said that the Steering Committee was handling broad based projects with components that included conducting feasibility studies for three identified potential sites in Ebonyi, Ogun and Ondo states.