By Ukpong Ukpong
Akwa Ibom as well as other oil producing states face overwhelming impact on their economy in future if they fail to set up concrete mitigation plan against eventual global transition from fossil fuel to renewal energy, says Mr. Mfon Gabriel, Executive Director, Well of Science Foundation.
Gabriel made this known yesterday during a presentation at a-one day capacity development workshop on Energy Transition for select journalists in Akwa Ibom State facilitated by the Dune Newspaper with support from Natural Resource Governance Institute (NRGI) and BudgIT.
According to him, global trend in energy usage is gradually and definitely shifting towards cleaner and renewal energy resulting in dwindling revenues from oil and gas. He predicted that this decline will continue to the point where oil and gas are completely replaced, leaving behind severe consequences for states which depend on them for foreign exchange.
Meanwhile, the Commissioner for Information, Comrade Ini Ememobong, while commending organizers for the training, pointed out that the national assembly is a major stakeholder in Nigeria’s plan to transit from fossil fuel to cleaner and renewal energy since proactive and patriotic legislations are needed to provide legal framework for this move.
Ememobong revealed that Akwa Ibom state government has made efforts to embrace cleaner energy, but admitted that government may not have all the answers. He therefore called for independent advocacy and propagation of homegrown solutions which are perculiar to the state.
Also speaking, the state chairman of Nigeria Union of Journalists, Mr. Amos Etuk, expressed his delight that the training was deepening the conversation on climate change, which was the theme of the recently concluded press week.
He enthused that with the training journalists in the state will be equipped to build up editorials and articles, and drive narratives on proper implementation of the Petroleum Industry Law and set agenda for policy makers on enforcing action against harmful practices that compound effects of climate change in the country especially the obnoxious gas flaring and oil spillage.
Earlier in his opening remarks, Mr. Abasifreke Effiong, Managing Editor, The Dune Newspaper, stated that there is a huge knowledge gap on the subject matter – energy transition hence the need to fill it because of the currency of the subject and how it will affect our future as a State whose major source of revenue is crude oil.
Effiong cautioned that there are serious discussions at global, continental, regional and national levels on achieving the 2050 climate target, with far-reaching implications for oil producing states including Akwa Ibom.
“The world is working towards achieving huge transition from fossil fuels to clean energy. Nigeria is working to end gas flaring by 2030.
“Ending gas flaring would mean that most, if not all the International Oil Companies operating in Nigeria will have to leave or to use a more economical term, divest … I can’t point particularly to very serious, methodic discussions and preparations yet by our State Government for the attendant economic and social disruptions energy transition will cause and cost us. The disruptions might be overwhelming, so we need to start planning early enough.” He warned.
According to him, the workshop aims to equip journalists to raise awareness, set agenda for improved preparedness for energy transition and to advocate for a proactive economic and social impact mitigation plan for Akwa Ibom State, host communities, youths and women, ahead of the transition.
Similarly, in her goodwill message to trainees, Tengi George-Ikoli, Senior Officer and Focal Person for the Natural Resource Governance Institute (NRGI), disclosed that the inevitable transition away from fossil fuel to renewable energy resources will essentially make budgets unimplementable, leave citizens impoverished and living in degraded environment.
“The energy transition will affect oil revenues, threatening income from FAAC allocations, 13% derivation funds and other oil related income streams such as the Niger Delta Development Commission and Nigerian Content Monitoring and Development Board.
“Additionally, if not properly prepared for, the legacy environmental degradation left behind by international oil companies … will have a profound impact on oil producing states for generations to come.
“It is therefore important for state governments to explore alternative sources of revenues beyond the oil revenue sources and hold the federal government to account to remediate their environments.”
At the end of the training, a media advocacy group called MEDIA ADVOCACY GROUP ON ENERGY TRANSITION (MAGET) AKWA IBOM STATE was formed. The group immediately issued a communique, calling on the Akwa Ibom State Government to domesticate the National Energy Transition plan and strive to achieve SDGs 7 (Affordable and Clean Energy), 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities) and 13 (Climate Action).
MAGET also demanded that the Federal Government and IOCs carry out comprehensive environmental audit, remediation, clean up and restoration of host communities ahead of the 2060 energy transition timeline.
It also charged the state government to interrogate decommissioning and abandonment plan for stranded oil assets in its communities among others.
@Etette Ukpong please check the time element in the story and put date. Second paragraph. Thank you very much
