Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) have called for greater transparency, accountability and community ownership in Nigeria’s energy transition.
They made the call at a workshop on energy transition and energy democracy organised by Environmental Rights Action (ERA) Nigeria and Friedrich Ebert Stiftung Nigeria in Port Harcourt on Friday.
The workshop, themed “Who Controls Our Energy? Energy Access and Social Justice,” examined energy access, ownership and control in the Niger Delta.
Programme Manager of ERA Nigeria, Mr Kentebe Ebiarodor, said Nigeria’s energy transition should be people-oriented and guarantee access to reliable and affordable energy regardless of location or economic status.
According to him, communities, labour and other segments of society must have a role in shaping the country’s energy future.
Ebiarodor expressed concern over continued dependence on fossil fuels, noting that decades of oil extraction had failed to translate into sustainable development for Niger Delta communities.
“The Nigerian Government has been very clear about its drive for energy, irrespective of the impact it is having on the environment,” he said.
He urged the Federal Government to rethink its energy policies and promote energy sovereignty that would give communities greater control over energy resources.
“Energy democracy should ensure communities participate in decisions on how energy resources are managed and distributed,” he said.
Similarly, Dr Emem Okon, Executive Director of Kabetkache Women Development and Resource Centre, called for increased community participation in energy resource management.
Okon said reliable energy was critical to small businesses, schools, health centres and other essential services in communities.
She urged communities to understand existing energy laws and policies and use them to demand accountability from the government.
“If people don’t have knowledge of existing laws and policies and advocate and begin to hold government accountable, those policies can be there for years without being implemented,” she said.
Okon said the Nigeria Energy Transition Plan provided opportunities for women and small businesses to participate in renewable energy enterprises.
She cited clean cooking initiatives and grants as opportunities that could support women and small businesses in the emerging energy sector.
The executive director urged CSOs to increase awareness of such opportunities and equip communities with the skills needed for the energy transition.
Earlier, the Executive Director of Policy Alert, Mr Tijar Bolton, said the Niger Delta had remained largely without reliable electricity despite powering Nigeria’s fossil fuel economy for more than six decades.
Bolton said the situation presented an opportunity for communities to demand greater ownership of decentralised renewable energy systems, including solar-powered mini-grids.
“The community-owned systems could create employment, develop technical skills and provide reliable electricity for small and medium-scale enterprises,” he said.
He urged communities to use resources available through the Host Community Development Trusts to develop skills in solar panel installation, production and maintenance.
He also called for resources meant to address environmental pollution, including gas flare penalties, to be deployed for their intended purposes.
Stakeholders at the event urged the government, communities, labour and other actors to ensure that Nigeria’s energy transition delivered social, economic and environmental justice to Niger Delta communities.
