The world witnessed cross pollination of modern technology and culture during the opening ceremony of the XXIX Olympiad of August 8, 2008. China showed the world how technology and culture can be merged seamlessly. Beijing was lighted up in a show of technological prowess. August 8, 2008 was a date that China told the world that she has finally arrived and the world took notice.  

Not too long ago, Nigeria was not too far behind China in rudimentary technology. China has been carrying herself in dignity before the world while Nigeria’s development is reaching a crisis stage since her independence. One thing that is sure is that, even though China has a tight control on her citizens, she has always had visionary leaders such as Mao Tse–Tung to engineer people-based revolution. China has, therefore, re-written her economic history in gold while Nigeria is, on the average, walloping in abject poverty and seem to lack appreciation of economic fundamentals and political trade-offs in market driven economy.

In January 2008 I started a series on energy sufficiency and stabilization in Nigeria. I discussed several renewable energy alternatives (Hydro, wind, solar, bio-mass, etc.) and ways to achieve energy sufficiency through renewable energy rural electrification. This was long before the soaring energy prices and spirited discussion on the climate change from man-made emissions of carbon dioxide became prominent discussions on the world stage. 

Man-made emissions of carbon dioxide have propelled energy efficiency to the top of the agenda in the developed world especially in the boardrooms, public debates and as emissions concern is shaping public policies as never before.  This Internet medium provides a forum for an overview of the challenges, how different governments are tackling these problems and how Nigeria can use this new energy crisis and reduced oil consumption to find an optimum solution for her energy crisis especially as crude may become irrelevant in the near future.

The rising standards of living in the developing countries and their participation in the global markets have exposed the mass critical needs of companies to be more competitive and realize the increased pressure to increase productivity and lower costs. Nigeria is no exception to this pressure even though she is stuck in the consuming stage of development.

Industries within Nigeria and outside of her shores and governments, Federal and State levels, are presented with strong incentives to use energy more efficiently and to look for more energy sources within her shore.  The surging price of oil in recent years, even though it is indirectly to Nigeria’s advantage, is being sustained by demand from rapidly developing countries including Brazil, China, and India. Therefore, it is important that Nigeria understand her limitation in increased industrial capacity when the most fundamental ingredient for industrialization, energy, is missing.

The International Energy Agency (IEA) forecasts that, with the way the world is growing, world electricity use would double as the global energy needs and the related emissions of gases demand increase. Carbon dioxide emission which is believed to be responsible for global warming will be more than 50 percent higher in the next twenty-two years than it is today as economic activities increase in the developing world is accelerated. Moreover, the earth’s average surface temperature will probably rise by 1.8 to 4 degrees Celsius by the end of the century, according to the latest major report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, published in February 2007.

Because of the warnings of this nature, governments have started taking note and perfecting actions.  Many governmental policies are set to lay down minimum standards for energy efficiency. Governments are placing minimum standards in place around the world and laws are being tightened further for the enforcement. For example, China adopted a development plan for the five years through 2010 that calls for a 20 percent reduction in the amount of energy used per unit of gross domestic product (GDP).  But then, China is the world's second-biggest emitter of greenhouse gases after the United States of America. In August 208, California, the world's 12^th-largest emitter of greenhouse gases, passed legislation committing the US to reducing emissions of carbon dioxide by 25 percent by the year 2020.

Presently, Nigerians are concern with just day-to-day survival; they need to also, on the long run, be concerned with global warming and quality of life just as governments around the world are clamping down on pollution. Many governments are now making businesses operating within their global space pay penalty for emissions of carbon dioxide. Nigeria government must demand for no less in her Nigeria Delta crude oil producing zones. Though Nigeria is not yet a high manufacturing nation, she must start her energy management by making sure that products coming into Nigeria are energy efficient as well as engaging in sound maintenance culture through power transmission technologies and requiring factory control systems. Improvement in infrastructure, especially power supply will go along way to enhancing peace and security in the Niger Delta.

While Nigeria is restructuring her energy needs, she has to consider efficiency in her distribution system. It is believed that apart from generating energy, movement of energy through transmission can be made more efficient.  There is high-voltage direct current, HVDC technology, which is capable of transporting electricity over long distances using fewer cables and with much lower electric energy losses than conventional alternating current technology. Many companies have perfected this type of technology and Nigeria needs to dispel the old adage and go with efficiency right from the beginning. 

In the energy generation industries, HVDC allows clear linkages of one power grid to another safely and cost effectively.  I was discussing with a friend in Norway in order to understand how Norway deals with her energy generation and distribution so efficiently. My friend says that Norway has an efficient energy distribution. Nigeria must use Norway and the Netherlands for her case study and learn how these two nations link their grids with, for example, the GE and especially the ABB technology in order to allow the Dutch to import hydropower from Norway during the day when demand is high. HVDC can also boost development of wind power all over Nigeria by compensating for the power fluctuations caused by generating energy from wind.

Our universities must be actively challenged in the areas of efficiency in energy research through software development and active control systems. They must add value to our collective appropriation by developing power plants that operate more efficiently either theoretically or by design. By encouraging this, many of our nation’s factories such as cement, pulp and paper to pharmaceuticals consuming large amount of energies can benefit from government investment on Research and Development (R&D). 

If Nigeria continues on her disposable society status, the generator cabal will soon leave the stage but leave the next generation to facing the music of the foolishness of the yesteryears, this will be unconscionable. While other nations are coming up with policies to reduce fuel consumption in order to reduce cost for the energy, our own nation is just consuming the energy for no purposeful use, selling electricity that is not available to Nigeria to neighboring countries as big brother while the politicians are busy transferring the proceeds to their own personal overseas accounts. Nigeria too can benefit by putting forward a strategy for combining control systems, high efficiency motors and variable speed drives.  

Small but landmark political missteps precipitated many nations’ revolutions. In Nigeria, politicians should take cognizant of the fact that energy might just be the Achilles' heel that may crystallize people’s revolution. When a nation is battered and citizens are disrespected by those that ought to be advocates, revolution is inevitable. A nation can only be battered for so long before citizens wake up from their slumbers. Nigeria surely needs a revolution of ideas otherwise she will be stuck in a dungeon of energy hopelessness, despicable healthcare system, moral decadence, jaundice educational standard and massive capital flight.

Our politicians have not yet understood that Nigerians are not beggars nor are they fools. An average citizen is not begging for hand outs but for opportunities to be self sufficient. One way for leaders to be relevant both on national and state levels is to make energy a top priority and use the energy emergency to create opportunities for self reliance, improve standard of living, establish new entrepreneurs that will create jobs rather establishing atmosphere for job seekers in a hopeless job market.

In order to prevent revolution of any sort, politicians must recognize that charity begins at home. Any type of revolution prevention begins with energy infrastructural development which must start with establishing strict standards, embarking on R&D by identifying, encouraging universities to champion energy projects and allowing Nigerians to add values to projects. By developing efficient control systems and purchasing high efficient motors and equipments and providing some stability in the nation’s life, citizens may see that government of Nigeria is finally a government of the people, by the people and for the people and our nation’s ultimate national salvation, patriotism, and our belonging to the comity of nation depend on her ability to solve her resolution demands.

Robot  # 1 | 13.08.2008 22:15

The world witnessed cross pollination of modern technology and culture during the opening ceremon...Read the full article.

Onari  # 2 | 14.08.2008 10:45

Great article and great idea thank you...I hope the powers that be are listening and listening really well. The irony is that we can not even identify our needs and our problems. There is no urgency for us at all times...Everything that makes a country work efficiently is presently missing in the equation called Nigeria= siddon look, no do anything the problem go go away!

allaccess  # 3 | 15.08.2008 05:17

Prof, You wrote a few articles like this on electrification and water generation but they fell on deaf ears - is this a waste of time perhaps? Are you asking boys in the Nigerian Government to do the work of men? I have always told you jumping the gun will help no one, you cannot run before you walk. Nigeria needs to become a country and then an enabled society and then your infrastructure articles might come in handy. Again I say it, misplaced priorities.