President Bola Tinubu yesterday called for stronger cooperation with the United States, as Nigeria and the rest of the world move toward renewable and other sources of clean energy.
He spoke during a meeting with United States Assistant Secretary of State, Bureau of Energy Resources, Geoffrey Praytt, at the State House, Abuja, according to a statement by his Special Adviser, Special Duties, Communications & Strategy, Dele Alake.
Tinubu was said to have presented his own perspectives to the US delegation on the role of Nigeria as an oil producing country, and the importance of revenue from hydrocarbons to its national economic development.
He assured that Nigeria will honour all its obligations to climate change and quest for clean energy.
He also appealed to the United States and other developed nations to recognise that Nigeria and Africa have a challenge of poverty that must be addressed, adding that in the race for energy transition, the world must have a right balance between fossil fuel and green energy.
He said: “Nigeria is an oil producing nation and a developing economy that needs revenue from fossil fuel for growth and development.
“The new energy we are talking about represents just five per cent of global energy requirements. We must find the right balance between new energy and fossil fuel because we have a problem of poverty in Africa.”
We need the funding support to help us drive and accelerate our energy diversification. There are bottlenecks that must be unbottled in terms of how the US bureaucracy responds to our needs.
On the nexus between the problem of poverty in Africa and fragility of democracy on the continent, Tinubu urged the United States to work with Nigeria to protect the government of the people.
He also urged Praytt to impress on his home government the urgency of responding to the needs of Nigeria.
“We need the funding support to help us drive and accelerate our energy diversification. There are bottlenecks that must be unbottled in terms of how the US bureaucracy responds to our needs.
“Help must be given when it is needed. We are ready to learn and develop to join the 21st century economy. Please take it home that we need help and very quickly too.
“I am honoured with your recognition of the baby steps we have taken so far. I want to assure you that Nigeria will honour her obligations on climate change and renewables,” the President said.
In his remarks, Praytt was said to have extolled the bold economic initiatives already taken by the President with respect to fuel subsidy removal and unification of multiple foreign exchange rates.
He said he was in the country partly to inform the President that President Joe Biden is in support of the steps taken so far by Nigeria to reduce the impact of fossil fuel.
“We are opening a new page in US relations with Nigeria. Nigeria is taking important steps in growing its renewable energy to meet the needs of her citizens.
“We are very happy with our work with NNPCL and your team. Your new Special Adviser on Energy is already doing very well,” the US Envoy said.
Earlier, the Group Managing Director of NNPC Limited, Mele Kyari, told the President that the Energy Industry in Nigeria has been engaging the US Department of Energy on the energy transition.
Kyari also acknowledged the support that Nigeria received from the US Department of Energy to develop the Petroleum Industry Act.
