Nigerian Association of Energy Economists (NAEE) has disclosed that about 75 per cent of Nigerians still lack access to regular power supply.
NAEE said that only 25 per cent of the total population enjoy regular power supply despite the fact that the 45 per cent of the country’s population is currently connected to the national grid.
The National President of NAEE, Prof. Wummi Iledare said this while briefing journalists in Abuja on the occasion of the ‘2015 World Energy Day.’
Iledare who was represented by Director, Centre for Petroleum, Energy Economics and Law, University of Ibadan, Prof, AdeolaAdenikinju said “Nigeria has vast and varied energy resources, both renewable and non-renewable resources. The nation is also the largest economy in Africa with a GDP (gross domestic product) of about $531.8 billion according to the World Bank, yet the nation still faces serious energy poverty issues, with energy supply falling short of energy demand.
“Using electricity as an example, less than 25 per cent of the total population of over 170 million has access to regular electricity. The remaining 75 per cent make do with little or no electricity although 45 per cent of the population is connected to the national grid.
“It is estimated that the nation has as much as 90 per cent deficiency in electricity supply while in off-grid areas where some 50 per cent of Nigerians live, access to electricity is practically zero. Even in on-grid areas, power outages are still a recurrent theme and this has continued to pose serious constraints to economic development,” he added,
“There is obvious inequity in energy access based on levels of income, and location. Access is nearly 100 per cent in developed countries, compared to 60 per cent in the developing countries. In 2011 alone, the International Energy Agency (IEA) estimated that about 68 per cent of the people in sub-Saharan Africa were without access to modern energy and 52 per cent of Nigeria’s population falls into that category.”
He concluded that until we are able to resolve the huge electricity deficit of the country, huge potentials of the economy would remain untapped and unavailable to current and future generations.