Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, Mele Kyari has said electricity is only for the Nigerian elite because it “is largely a luxury”.
Electricity, Kyari said is out of the reach of many Nigerians because what they worry about today is the meals for the day.
“There are many who can’t afford a meal a day,” he said.
Speaking at the Nigeria International Petroleum Summit, the NNPC boss said many Nigerians and Africans rely on petrol-powered generators to access electricity in their homes.
He noted that there is abject poverty in Nigerian communities that even many Nigerians dream of owning a small power generator fondly called, ‘I pass my neighbour’.
Kyari added that it is nearly impossible to stop the use of fossil fuel for power generation if alternatives are not provided.
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“It is the dream of very many to have I-pass-my-neighbour in their homes. When you say, ‘Do not use fossil fuel,’ you are saying that ‘park this, ‘you have not provided alternatives. The world has not looked at their situation. The world has not recognized that there is abject poverty in the communities,” the NNPC boss said.
He added that “We have to resolve the issue of electricity so that we can talk about renewable energy in the future and reduce the use of fossil fuel that has a high impact on the environment. We know that there is an energy transition in the world. With time, there will be less dependent on fossil fuel.”.
