The Shehu Musa Yar’Adua Foundation, in alliance with some civil society organisations (CSOs), including Africa Policy Research Institute (APRI), Health of Mother Earth Foundation (HOMEF), Policy Alert (PA), local leaders, energy sector stakeholders, and relevant government officials have stressed the need for effective integration of Niger Delta communities in the federal government’s energy transition policy.
In recognition of the importance of ensuring a just, equitable, and inclusive energy transition in Nigeria, the participants at the community engagement workshop, held at Monty Suite Hotel, Uyo, the Akwa Ibom State capital, stressed the need to incorporate justice imperatives into the National Energy Transition Plan (NETP).
The communiqué at the end of the discourse over the weekend, endorsed by the director, Partnerships and Development, Yar’Adua Foundation, Amara Nwakpa, and other CSO representatives, outlines the key outcomes, agreements reached and responsibilities communities have committed to take forward based on their peculiar challenges.
The forum expressed worry over the devastating impacts of climate change and associated issues such as gas flaring, deforestation due to the resort to fossil fuels, flooding, and others.
“The effects of climate change are becoming increasingly evident in Nigeria, particularly in rural and extractive communities that are facing compounded challenges of environmental degradation and socioeconomic marginalisation,” the communique noted and expressed regrets about the lack of community input in the Energy Transition Plan (ETP).
“Nigeria’s ETP was developed without sufficient consultation with extractive communities, which are the most affected by historical fossil fuel exploitation and the potential impacts of the transition to cleaner energy sources.
“The ETP fails to adequately address the historical environmental damages caused by fossil fuel extraction. Extractive communities continue to suffer from severe environmental degradation, with insufficient efforts toward environmental remediation.
“The cost of cleaner energy technologies, such as solar power, remains unaffordable for many extractive communities. Without intervention, these populations risk being excluded from the benefits of the energy transition.
“While Nigeria positions gas as its transition fuel, the continued flaring of significant amounts of gas represents a missed opportunity for energy production and a source of ongoing environmental harm.
“The transition to cleaner energy raises concerns about job migration and the need for retraining workers displaced by the decline in the fossil fuel industry. There is an urgent need for investments in skills development to prepare workers and the next generation for employment in green sectors. There’s a need to incorporate climate education into the current curriculum (investment should be made in this regard).
“The illegal mining of critical minerals for the energy transition is already driving local conflicts. As mining operations expand to meet global demand for transition minerals, communities may lose more agricultural land, exacerbating food insecurity.
“Some Nigerians are already adopting renewable energy solutions, such as solar power, in response to rising fuel costs. However, these efforts need to be scaled up, particularly in underserved regions.
“There is a critical need for Nigeria to engage in experience sharing with countries facing similar challenges in their energy transitions to learn from best practices and avoid common pitfalls,” the forum stressed.
Participants, therefore, reaffirmed that a just transition must ensure that the benefits and burdens of the transition are shared fairly, particularly for marginalised and underserved communities.
