The Federal Government has been called to ensure the urgent passage of the National Energy Policy and the National Energy Master plan into law to bring development in the energy sector. The call came from the stakeholders’ conference on mainstreaming gender in energy policies. When implemented, this would ensure minimal changes in government policies on energy.

The call came even as Friends of the Environment (FOTE) says that Nigeria needs to explore ways of using new policies to promote safer and healthier energy services that would empower women to meaningfully participate in planning for their energy needs.

Speaking on “Energy situation and policy in Nigeria: Reflections on energy policy planning with a focus on gender and poverty”, Mr. Abdulkareem O. Aliyu of Energy Commission of Nigeria said that existing under-utilised energy infrastructure in the country should be rehabilitated and upgraded to operate at optimum conditions.

According to him, adequate and appropriate incentives should be adopted to attract private funds in the development of the energy sector, just as new energy infrastructure should be put in place in the country at a faster rate.

He suggested that the energy supply mix into the economy should be diversified to include nuclear, coal, solar, wind, biomass and biofuels; while plantations should be established, especially of quick growing tree species to provide for fuel wood in the interim along with popularising efficient wood burning stoves which have become necessary.

“The on-going reforms in the oil, gas, and power sub-sectors of the country should be pursued with vigour, just as the adoption of energy conservation, and efficiency practices and technologies should be actively promoted to ensure rationalised consumption of energy in the country,” he said.

He stated that the country’s energy mix and the potentials of the conventional sources of electricity generation and fuel supply have been proven, but have remained largely untapped. “Cheap energy supply is the greatest stimulus for industrialisation. Hence, investment, diversification, deregulation and the creation of regional power supply companies are needed to clear energy supply bottlenecks,” he said.

He pointed out that Nigeria has adopted strategies that would alleviate the situation among the countries of ECOWAS.

The strategies include co-ordination of energy planning, research, information and technological exchange on a regional scale; minimising the high cost of energy importation into member states by facilitating the regional distribution of petroleum products; and encouraging the extent of the national grids of neighboring countries to optimise the utilisation of regional hydroelectricity and other energy potentials.

But Chairperson of FOTE, Engineer (Mrs) Olu Maduka, pointed out that gender inequality in the country resulted from culturally established differences in the roles and status of men and women in the Nigerian society.

“As a starting point for gender sensitive energy planning, it is important to identify the energy services of primary importance to women, and to consider options for providing those services” she said.

Mrs. Maduka noted that there is an undeniable link between access to modern energy services, economic development and the crucial role energy plays in modern economies.
“Thus, energy production and usage constitutes a major driver for sustainable development. In Africa , women are the major producers and users of household energy, thus, access to modern energy services will reduce the number of women in poverty.

However, today, a large number of women in Africa still depend on firewood and charcoal, reflecting the low level of economic activities and poverty on the continent. Poverty eradication is currently the greatest global challenge and an impediment for achieving sustainable development.

Moving Africa out of poverty requires a substantial increase in affordable energy usage, while minimising environmental hazards and ensuring social equity and sustainability,” the FOTE boss said.