1 month ago
14 ARTICLE AD
The Senator representing Oyo Central, Senator Yunus Abiodun, has called for an appropriate policy framework to address the challenges of energy poverty in the country.
He argued that if such frameworks were not put in place, the challenges of energy poverty would continue to ravage rural communities and lock down their development potential across generations.
Abiodun stated this on Friday at the University of Uyo, Akwa Ibom State while delivering the 2nd Prof Nyaudo Ndaeyo’s Public Lecture with the theme “Addressing Energy Poverty in Nigeria: Insights and Implementations for Rural Areas”
The senator, who is the chairman Senate Committee on Environment, warned that if this was not done people would naturally resort to the crude use of biomass fuel, thereby resulting in deforestation, exposure to unclean indoor air and other environmental and health hazards that kill the world poor through pneumonia, stroke heart disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and lung cancer.
“If appropriate policy frameworks are not put in place, the challenges of energy poverty will continue to ravage the rural communities and lock down their development potentials across generations.
“This is because people will naturally resort to the crude use of biomass fuel which would eventually lead to deforestation, exposure to unclean indoor air and other environmental and health hazards that may result from noise generated from power generating sets and greenhouse gases,” he said.
He added “The burning of solid fuel fills the houses and huts in poorer rural communities with smoke that kills the world’s poor by causing pneumonia, stroke, heart disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and lung cancer. The solid fuels responsible for this unwholesome experience include wood, crop residues, dung, charcoal, and coal.
“The solution to this is not far-fetched: a shift from solid fuels to modern energy sources. A major reason for Nigeria’s seemingly intractable energy poverty is its reliance on non-renewable energy sources and non-utilisation of abundantly available renewable sources.
“Thus, given the magnitude of energy poverty in Nigeria, adequate steps should be taken to give the average Nigerian access to modern energy sources.”
