Towards achieving energy for sustainable development in Nigeria

The importance of energy availability in the economic growth, social and political development of every nation cannot be overemphasized. Affordable and reliable energy availability is the precondition for sustainable development. Sustainable development calls for an efficient, reliable and decentralized energy economy, based on local and clean energy sources, in which the price paid by the consumer will reflect the real cost of energy products to the economy. There is clear evidence that Nigeria is blessed with abundant resources of fossil fuels as well as renewable energy resources. The major challenge is inefficient utilization of energy in the country. There is no doubt that the present power crisis afflicting Nigeria will persist unless the government diversifies her energy sources and adopt new available technologies to reduce energy wastages and save cost. This study examines the perspective of energy efficiency and renewable energy in the making of strategies for a sustainable development in Nigeria. Such strategies involve energy savings on the demand side, efficiency improvements in the energy production, and replacement of fossil fuels by various sources of renewable energy. Factors that need to be considered in the shift to its sustainable energy future are examined in this article.