For Nigeria to thrive alongside its economy, it needs to leverage alternative energy sources. This is according to Philip Costa, the convener of Incorporated Trustees of Advocates of Solar Panels Association (ITASPA), a Non-governmental Organisation (NGO) established to address Nigeria’s lingering erratic power supply issues.
Speaking with BizWatch Nigeria, Costa, who’s a former research technician with the United States Department of Agriculture, said considering the fact that the fossil-fuel-driven national grid, which often collapses, is not sufficient for the most populous nation in Africa, the Nigerian government needs to leverage alternative energy sources, particularly solar, to serve its people.
In his words, “It is not enough for us to keep lamenting and putting blame on challenges that have existed for long. It is high time for the Nigerian government to prioritise alternatives for the sake of addressing insecurity and the economic challenges at large.
“For every Nigerian household to have electricity, the government needs to admit that the current fossil-fuel-driven grid is not sufficient for this outcome. Hence, alternative energy is the solution, and we hope that the entire nation can turn to it in the fullness of time, not only to save money but to help solve the climate crisis now gripping the world.”
Lamenting Nigeria’s power supply challenges, Costa, who stated that he has since been studying the situation from afar, said it is worsened in recent times, adding that the consistent collapse of the grid should not be entirely blamed on vandalism.
“Power supply has over the years worsened, -no thanks to the consistent collapse of the national grid, which the government often blames on vandalism. However, for Africa’s largest population that numbered over 200 million people, climate-friendly solutions that are sustainable need to be considered,” he explained.
