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ͯͰ˜ ͰͮͯͿ ˾ THISDAY, THE SUNDAY NEWSPAPER
OPINION The Relevance of Nigeria’s Open Governance Plan A partnership between NEITI AND NDDC will bring out the best in the interventionist agency, argues Bob MajiriOghene Etemiku
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ast week, very senior officials of the Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative, (NEITI) had a very productive meeting with the newly constituted Niger Delta Development Board (NDDC) board. Four key issues emanated from a press statement released therefrom. One was the prompting from NEITI to the NDDC to carry out a corruption risk assessment to help the commission strengthen its operations. The NEITI officials also urged the NDDC to carry out an independent project implementation audit, and to commit to good corporate governance, driven through with the principles with which the global extractive industries transparency initiative is run. I believe that these are very valid considerations and from an organisational point of view, we have thrown our weight behind the planned partnership of these two agencies. Our support for the partnership between these two agencies is not a frolicsome one, more so when you consider that many government agencies promote waste and mismanagement in the governance process by working at cross purposes. While there are records to indicate that the NDDC and other development agencies set up to accelerate development in the Niger Delta - DESOPADEC, OSOPADEC EDSOGPACED, etc., have collected billions of naira, there are no commensurate projects on ground to account for the monies collected for those projects. As a matter of fact, it has become a leitmotif for traducers of agitators for development for the Niger Delta region to be asked to justify these humongous monies and to channel their grievances elsewhere. About a year ago, I wrote an article titled, Bring Back the BRACED Commission. In it, I wanted to draw attention to the need for the governors of the South-South in Bayelsa, Rivers, Akwa Ibom, Cross River, Edo and Delta - to close ranks and resuscitate the moribund BRACED Commission. Part of the need for governors to close ranks and work together in a regional bloc is closely related to that same reason why the NEITI and the NDDC have come together in an emerging partnership – the need for fiscal transparency, access to information and citizen engagement. When they work together, they close ranks, block any avenue for loopholes and engender accountability and transparency. But that has not been the case in the Niger Delta. Huge amounts allocated for development are mostly squandered. Some states in other regions like Kano State which do not produce oil have initiated and commissioned
a state of the art water and sanitation project akin to the ones in Europe and America. And while governors in the North close ranks and speak with one voice, others in the South-East and South-South and South-West are throwing bricks at each other. But the real reason why I wrote that article was because I know that there have been several meetings in the European Union (EU) towards cutting their green-house gas emissions by at least 40%. They also plan to stop buying our oil by 2030 – only 15 years from today. In those EU meetings, all 28 countries irrespective of the disparities of the languages and political philosophies resolved to boost renewable energy and improve energy efficiency by at least 27%. By February 2015, a Southern Gas Corridor for the establishment of liquid gas hubs with multiple suppliers in Central and Eastern Europe was developed. Since most of Europe would soon depend absolutely on renewable energy – solar, biomass, wind and hydro power for their electricity needs, part of the plan of the EU Energy Union includes a full implementation of existing legislation
Part of the need for governors to close ranks and work together in a regional bloc is closely related to that same reason why the NEITI and the NDDC have come together in an emerging partnership – the need for fiscal transparency, access to information and citizen engagement
and market rules to integrate these renewable into all European markets, and a promotion of more research into renewable energy production and the decarbonisation of the transport sector. As soon as that happens, the relevance of the Niger Delta as a regional power house, contributing to the upkeep of Nigeria would come to an end. What would be left is an environment with ecological scars. After that article, certain Nigerians have engaged me to see how we can get the big players to come to the drawing board once again. Together, we have sought the participation of some of the well-known actors who helped birth the BRACED Commission. Unfortunately, most are unwilling to talk about the BRACED Commission and how it can assist agencies of government to accelerate development in the Niger Delta and make it the economic nerve centre of Africa. My quest eventually led me to a Vanguard report of Tuesday, January 17, 2017, with the title, Why South-South Governors Forum Collapsed. There it became clear as day that the development of the Niger Delta had been sacrificed on the altar of the political affiliations of the governors of the BRACED Commission. The argument is that the governors belong to different political parties and therefore cannot work together unfortunately. This political challenge in the Niger Delta especially as stimulated by the feud of the political gladiators makes it difficult to expect any meaningful collaborative effort among the governors. And to that extent, we propose greater reliance on Nigeria’s Open Governance National Action Plan, envisaged to run from 2017 to 2019. President Muhammadu Buhari in the executive summary of that plan said that the plan ‘spans four key thematic areas of fiscal transparency, anti-corruption, access to information, and citizen engagement’. This is commendable. On our part, we believe that if these plans are to be as ‘concrete’ and liable to be implemented, there would be no more need for the federal government to take the NDDC from the purview of the Presidency. Rather, it should encourage the NDDC to apply the key deliverables that our National OGP plan is hinged upon: open budgeting, open contracting, revenue transparency and accountability, the publication of a register of the contractors executing projects and for what sums. Fortunately, that emerging partnership between NEITI and the NDDC has already initiated the process. ––Etemiku, manager communications, ANEEJ, wrote from Abuja.
Rethinking Green Energy Chiemezie Okeke-Ojiudu argues for conversion of waste to energy as part of tackling the power crisis
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ne of the great challenges haunting the present administration and indeed all past administrations is and has always been the subject of Nigeria’s power deficiency. In Nigeria, power is erratic, unstable and outages are more than frequent. With an installation capacity of over 7,000MW, Nigeria barely manages to generate, on average, a dismal 3,800MW of electricity to meet the needs of its growing population. Over the years, several issues have been cited as major causes of Nigeria’s paltry power generation capacity and output, including pipeline vandalism, corruption, lack of adequate infrastructure, mismanagement and incompetence. Just weeks ago, Nigeria’s power generation output dropped from around 3,959mw to 2,662mw. The sudden drop was attributed to low water levels at the hydro power stations and lack of gas due to pipeline attacks. And with a population of over 180 million people, Nigeria is only able to connect 40% of its citizens to the power grid. Lack of adequate electricity affects all strata of the economy, costing Nigeria billions per annum, while crippling the industrial, agricultural, & service sectors. This along with lack of adequate security, water and transportation is costing Nigerians an arm and a leg with devastating consequences for the road ahead. Why have we as a people not solved this problem? Are we created differently from our western or far eastern counterparts? Surely all men are created equal, and if so, those saddled with the responsibility of solving these issues over the years have no excuse. Our natural resources are abundant, technology is obtainable, and adequate manpower is available. Why are we still in this quagmire? By comparison, South Africa has a generation capacity of 52,811MW; Egypt, 30,000MW; Canada, 130,000MW and the United States, 1.17 million MW. Despite their output, these countries are determined and projected to increase their generation capacity with set targets and innovative ideas to meet rising energy demands yet to come. Along with the electricity conundrum, Nigeria also faces a serious waste problem. Waste is a harbinger of various
environmental impacts such as air, water, soil and pollution. Along with numerous risks to life and health, the desecration and decay of local communities and cities ruins the aesthetic quality and natural beauty of each state and, consequently, our country. Our answer over the years has been dumping our waste in open heaps and landfills, attracting vermin, disease and infection. Despite our pitfalls and mishaps, there is a solution to solving such foundational problems to the framework of our great nation. The answer lies in an effective and efficient waste-to-energy programme. By enacting a sufficient waste management initiative for Nigeria, we can create renewable energy that will help fuel economic development while adding value back to our natural ecosystem and biosphere. Investing in waste to energy conversion will not only help reduce our waste management issues, it will also help alleviate the electricity problem by providing an alternative/ reliable source of energy. With evidential benefits, waste to energy conversion policies in Nigeria should be pursued aggressively. The advantages for a country struggling with excessive waste and rampant power outages are enormous. Although funding a huge project such as a waste to energy incineration plant can be taxing for state governments, the federal government can render assistance by commissioning large scale projects; that along with private sector participation can help see such programmes through to fruition. Currently, the two major power sources being used in Nigeria today are natural gas (70%) and hydro power (30%). With hydro power, disturbances and disruptions are usually blamed on low water levels, while thermal power (natural gas) mishaps remain the result of pipeline vandalism. Converting waste to energy on the other hand has none of the above stated weaknesses, and doubles as a waste disposal agent. Making sure Nigeria’s waste is put to good use, thus cleaning and lighting up the nation concurrently. In Sweden, less than 1% trash ends up in landfills. This is due in part to the 32 waste-to-energy plants that have been setup across the country. These plants incinerate over
two million tonnes of trash annually; almost 50% of the waste produced by the country (the other 50% is recycled). Waste-to-energy plants in Sweden provide close to a million homes with heating and electricity, and thus, are responsible for reducing the amount of trash that ends up in landfills, as well as helping to reduce Sweden’s reliance on fossil fuels. The waste-to-energy project in Sweden is made more effective by the government’s insistence on the segregation of waste in both households and commercial institutions prior to incineration. Waste is a relatively cheap fuel and Sweden has, over time, developed a large capacity and skill in efficient and profitable waste treatment and management; so much so that Sweden imports 700,000 tonnes of waste from other countries yearly. Besides incineration (combustion), other viable waste-to energy/bioenergy methods include: anaerobic digestion (biogas) and gasification (syngas). Both methods can be used on a much smaller scale to power local communities, industries and hamlets around the country. The private sector should be encouraged in areas such as this. The more people/organisations involved in the generation of power, the closer we are to powering the whole nation. According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), bioenergy is the single largest renewable energy source today, providing 10% of the world with a primary energy supply. It also plays a crucial role in many developing countries where it provides energy for cooking. Apart from bioenergy, solar, wind, hydro, geothermal, and tidal energy are all forms of viable renewable energy sources. Diversification is important and Nigeria’s dependency on thermal energy is costing us dearly. There is no set pattern or formula for energy expansion. We can and should add to our current energy mix and capacity with great devotion. The United States for instance relies on natural gas (33%), coal (33%), nuclear (20%), and renewables (including bioenergy, hydro & solar) (13%) as energy sources respectively. The key is focusing on certain areas and working vigorously to achieve set goals.