Al Gore’s challenge and its impact on Nigeria
by Abdulmumin Yinka Ajia

When former United States vice president Al Gore issued his generational challenge to empower America on July 17, 2008, I hoped the policy makers in Abuja were paying attention. While the setting may have been in North America, those who will be hard hit by this challenge are in Africa and other third world countries that depends on revenues from carbon based fuel.

Despite some growth in the local economy, 90% of Nigeria ’s foreign exchange earnings are still from oil exploration. This frightening statistics belies any major improvement in other sectors of the economy. It is safe to say that today’s Nigeria will not be a functional state without petrol dollars. The underlining argument in Al Gore’s challenge is for America to produce 100% of its electricity from renewable energy and other clean carbon free sources within ten years. I don’t know about you but I am worried about the consequences of this challenge on Nigeria . Not because I do not support environmentally friendly policies, far from it, but I am afraid that Americans will rise up to the challenge and Nigerian policy makers will be caught unprepared.

While a small gulf state like the UAE gets it and has committed a whooping 15 billion USD targeting solar, wind, hydrogen power, carbon reduction and management, Nigeria is yet to even generate enough electricity from its abundant carbon based resources not to talk of diversifying into alternative energy.

My fear is that due to economic, environmental as well as national security issues, America and the larger western world will make a dramatic switch to alternative energy in less than ten years. The world’s oil supplies will not necessarily be depleted but it would not be profitable, environmentally friendly or for stronger national security viable to continue to patronize foreign oil.

And there goes Nigeria ’s economy. Mundane things like paying salaries and picking up trash from the streets may become a nightmare in Nigeria . There is no better time to act than now! If we act with some urgency and used the Abu Dhabi initiative as a yardstick, we can earn enough foreign exchange from alternative energy to meet our obligations. We can emerge a leader in ethanol production by giving incentives to farmers from Kwara to Adamawa.

But I am afraid if our antecedent is anything to go by, we may be unprepared for the time. A nation that earned the equivalent of 1.2 trillion USD between 1970 and 2007 in oil revenues and taxes but yet is saddled with mediocre infrastructure has a cause to be worried. Right now, we are generating less than 1000 mega watts of electricity in a nation that requires about 20,000 MW, average Nigerians are earning less than 600 USD per annum in a nation with galloping inflation, life expectancy for most third world nations is 59, for Nigeria it is 47. The statistics are very grim but all hope is not lost, the Nigerian people are a very resilient type of people, it is our political leaders that have let us down time and again.

There will be some that will say the loss of oil revenue is good for Nigeria but they are mistaken, for all the corruption that is going on in Nigeria right now, a significant loss in oil revenue will lead Nigeria on the path to Somalia . Except for a handful of states, most of Nigeria ’s thirty six states are rent collectors and will cease to function in any type of way if petrol dollars dries up.

So we have to rise up to Al Gore’s challenge in a different kind of way. Nigeria has to lead in alternative energy especially in Africa . This will stimulate the economy, jobs will be created in the windmills, the thermal stations etc.

More significantly, a loss in oil revenue will lead us back to agriculture, long neglected in Nigeria after the discovery of oil. Nigeria should not only be able to feed itself through her locally grown crops but it should be able to export excess abroad. The climate and geography are in its favour. The only thing that is missing is the political will to take action.

As a first step, let’s contact our state senators and house of representative members on this impending reality, the survival of our nation depends on it. Here is a link to the Nigerian national assembly; www.nassnig.org 

Abdulmumin Yinka Ajia can be reached at

abdulajia at yahoo.com

Robot  # 1 | 27.07.2008 02:20

due to economic, environmental as well as national se...Read the full article.

Palamedes  # 2 | 27.07.2008 07:45

I hoped the policy makers in Abuja were paying attention. Why? This is another way of letting the West set and control world agenda. And then some of us will start complaining that the West is controlling African governments. Hasn't Nigeria got her problems to worry about? I don’t know about you but I am worried about the consequences of this challenge on Nigeria The REAL consequences for Nigeria and Africa is the offloading by the West of environmentally unfriendly goods to Africa. Take the UK for an example, a retrospective tax on old cars have just been introduced to force them off the road (and make their owners buy new and more environmentally friendly cars). The effect of this new tax is to force old car owners to sell their old cars, but then again, very few people want to buy these old cars because of the new tax. So where will these old cars end up? (You damn right!) The streets of Africa. My fear is that due to economic, environmental as well as national security issues, and the larger western world will make a dramatic switch to alternative energy in less than ten years. The world’s oil supplies will not necessarily be depleted but it would not be profitable, environmentally friendly or for stronger national security viable to continue to patronize foreign oil. This is plain rumour mongering. In less than 10 years? How many cars in the world today are using non-fossil fuels? My guess is that it is less than 1%. And what are you going to do with all the million of cars on the streets of (say) America? Make them vanish (snap fingers) just like that! And replace them with new environmental friendly cars running on the likes of ethanol imported from starving Africa? We are not making sense or are we? ...If we act with some urgency and used the Abu Dhabi initiative as a yardstick Yeah right! Every country can decide for themselves what is best for them except Nigeria, which must follow policies initiated by outsiders. One day it is the 'Kosovo model', another day it is the 'Abu Dhabi initiative'. ...We can emerge a leader in ethanol production by giving incentives to farmers from Kwara to Adamawa Helloooo! But haven't you heard that world food prices have gone up (and in some cases even doubled) in the last 12 months, because of shortages (partly caused by naturally disasters in Asia but) mainly due to the diversion of food production resources to the production of the likes of ethanol? So are you asking Africa to reduce her food production for the sake of earning foreign exchange from ethanol? Sir, at this point I am beginning to feel a yawn fast approaching as I read more of your “way forward for Nigeria”. Sir, what a load of rubbish—if you don't mind me saying so. And what has Kwara done again? First it was the Rhodesian farmers, and now you want to add to her woes, ethanol farmers? So we have to rise up to Al Gore’s challenge... We should do no such thing. Policies should be made in Nigeria FULL STOP

Dewdrops  # 3 | 27.07.2008 17:12

=Robot;4295075938>due to economic, environmental as well as national se...Read the full article. So we have to rise up to Al Gore’s challenge in a different kind of way. Nigeria has to lead in alternative energy especially in Africa . This will stimulate the economy, jobs will be created in the windmills, the thermal stations etc. :rolleyes: I see! Please make dem go comot all the "dorty" when full road before dem begin talk all this big, big grammar! Na olympic style "pole vault" pesin dey take do guy yo yo? Talk about sprinting before taking a first baby step! Priorities!