Ejiogu Proposes Solution To Energy Challenge

A professor of Electrical Engineering at the University of Nigeria, Emenike Ejiogu, has called on the Federal Government to liberalise the generation and distribution of electricity through the gasification technology.

He also said adopting the proposal would end the frequent collapse of the national grid.

Ejiogu, made the proposition when he delivered the 190th Inaugural Lecture of the University of Nigeria entitled: "My engineering odyssey: Energy security, energy sustainability and bringing power to the people".

He said the gasification technology, which converts municipal and agricultural organic wastes to energy, presents a viable option to give Nigerians clean and affordable energy.

Ejiogu, who is the Dean, Faculty of Engineering and Director, Africa Centre of Excellence for Sustainable Power and Energy Development (ACE-SPED) said the gasification technology has the potential to inject over 6000MW of electricity into the economy within a short time.

According to him, a study by his team to assess the waste to energy generation potential of Uyo, Akwa Ibom State and its environs showed that the city had enough waste to generate about 20MW of electric power.

He argued that a replication of similar potential in 300 localities in Nigeria would ensure a rapid injection of 6000MW of electricity into the economy.

"With 6000MW of electric energy available by distributed generation all over Nigeria, we would really have given power to the people," he said.

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The don argued that the waste-to-energy generation system presents a triple advantage to Nigeria as it could provide electricity, clean up the environment, and create many waste management value chain jobs.

He said that the time was ripe for Nigeria to utilize available technologies to harness its energy potentials and decentralise power generation to the people instead of holding on to the epileptic national grid system which throws the country into darkness whenever it collapses.

He disclosed that his team had been experimenting with the gasification technology to provide electricity at his residence, the Faculty of Engineering and the administrative office of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka.