Governor Alex Otti of Abia State has urged Nigerians working within the extractive industry to pay attention to energy transition in the exploration of mineral resources in the country.
Mr Otti spoke on Wednesday in Umuahia during a two-day National Stakeholders’ Retreat and Board Meeting of the Nigerian Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI), according to a statement by his spokesperson, Ukoha Njoku.
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The governor said NEITI needed to set up systems that are pro-Nigeria in terms of reporting industrial accountability.
He suggested that attention should be paid to the unfolding dynamics of the old and new energy orders within the industry.
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“NEITI would do well to pay close attention to the evolution of this new ecosystem with respect to the business of exploration of mineral resources.
“It should set up systems that are pro-Nigeria in terms of reporting and industrial accountability to avoid a repeat of the costly mistakes of the past,” he said.
Mr Otti contended that paying attention to the unfolding dynamics of the old and new energy order would “enable the development of appropriate paradigms for optimising operations” and stopping sharp practices within the extractive industry.
“Whatever happens, the best path for us will be to embrace the new opportunities that are bound to come with the transition to low and non-carbon energy sources,” he stated.
‘Abia preparing for the future’
Mr Otti said Abia was preparing itself for the future and has installed thousands of solar-powered street lights across the state to improve security and public safety.
The governor explained that the initiative had brought about massive savings in energy costs, improved service delivery, and given the state a sense of how to evolve a more holistic energy policy.
He added that the state was partnering with agencies of the federal government to explore and develop the state’s rich deposits of natural resources and turn them into productive revenue-earning assets
Mr Otti said hundreds of young people were being trained to drive the installation and management of the new energy infrastructure.
The governor added that he has set up an investment vehicle called APTAN Energy Limited, a joint venture that has the Abia State Government, the Petroleum Technology Association of Nigeria, and a consortium of private investors as partners.
He hinted that he was committed to working with the federal government to deliver the needed dividends of democracy.
Mr Otti lauded the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, George Akume, for upholding the ideals of the institution.
He expressed the hope that the resolutions at the end of the retreat and meeting will further consolidate the gains that have been made in optimising the reporting and accountability framework in Nigeria’s extractive industry.
Reforms in the extractive sector
In his keynote, the Chairman of the National Stakeholder Working Group of NEITI, George Akume, said the retreat served as a strategic platform to reflect on, review and adjust efforts towards reforms in the extractive sector, particularly regarding the global energy transition.
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Mr Akume, a former governor of Benue State and Secretary to the Government of the Federation, said the federal government was taking deliberate steps to ensure that Nigeria’s energy transition was just, inclusive, and beneficial to all Nigerians, especially those at the grassroots level.
He praised Mr Otti for providing the enabling environment conducive enough to host the national retreat.
“Governor Otti’s transformative development agenda and people-oriented governance model are highly commendable.
“We at the federal level have followed with keen interest the broad and coordinated steps his administration is taking to rebuild infrastructure, strengthen governance, improve social services, and enhance security,” the NEITI chairman stated.
Earlier in his remarks, the Executive Secretary and CEO of NEITI, Ogbonnaya Orji, said the agency commissioned a detailed study on the impact of the energy transition, which he said has made commendable progress.
Mr Orji said he expects the retreat to deliver “actionable guidelines” for the institution and called on all participants to support the open debates.
He applauded Governor Otti for hosting the retreat in the South-eastern state.
