On the road to achieving sustainable energy in Nigeria

One of the main differences between Nigeria and the western world generally, is the conscious efforts of these western countries to save energy.
It is so easy to see the term ‘climate change’ as something so far away from the common man on the street. Sometimes, the terms used in relation to climate change might make it seem like a problem that can never be understood or solved. But this is not true. This is why when the issue of climate change comes up in a country like Nigeria, people can’t be bothered to listen or do anything about it, because they don’t understand. The truth is that the issue of climate change is something that every single person, old or young, educated or uneducated can be actively involved in solving.

New prepaid electric meter

This meter has ensured that the people using it are now more conscious of how much electric they use; people now make conscious efforts to switch off their light bulbs and television sets when they are not in use. This is a great step forward in reducing the effects of excessive use of energy on the climate. However, many of these people still don’t know about climate change and there is still a great need of raising awareness about this in Nigeria. One of the drawbacks of this new implementation is that more than half of Nigerians have not been given this new meter, in fact, in some rural areas, they don’t even know that this exists. There is a need for the government and the Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) to distribute these meters faster than they are doing now, and also to make it cheaper for even the lowest class of people to be able to afford it.
Overall, this idea is a commendable road to sustainable energy supply for Nigeria, and hopefully, more similar steps will be taken by the government in the nearest future to ensure that the country cooperates with the international community in reducing climate change.

This was the dream of so many people as of 2011 that we can now have a sustainable energy system in Nigeria. A Nigeria where there will be transparency in the power sector. A Nigeria where you pay for the power supply that you use. In Ibadan, IBEDC proposed that it has  plans to give meter to over 120,000 customers in 2017. Have they actually supplied enough of this to the populace?