FG urges inter-agency collaboration to explore geothermal energy resource

The Federal Government has urged the Nigerian Geological Survey Agency and Nigerian Mining Geoscience Society to collaborate in the area of geothermal energy resource to boost power generation in the country.
Boss Mustapha, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, gave the advice during his address at the `2018 NMGS-NGSA Discourse Series’ in Abuja.
The discourse series with the theme: “Geothermal Energy Resources of Nigeria; An untapped Potential for Socio-Economic Development,” attracted relevant stakeholders from the mining and energy sectors.
Mustapha, who was represented at the event by Olusegun Adekunle, the Permanent Secretary, General Service Office of the SGF, said Nigeria stands to gain in tapping from geothermal energy that have not been exploited.
He said: “Nigeria and African in general have continued to experience energy shortage and thus find it difficult to achieve their desired energy desire to enhance development.
“This government came to power when Nigeria was managing 2,900 megawatts of electricity; this was considered unacceptable and thus the need for increment became necessary.
“Presently, records have shown that power generation in the country is over 7,000 megawatts and distribution is over 5,000 megawatts.
“However, the Federal Government has decided to tackle the energy through the Economic Recovery Growth Plan 2017-2020; there are other sources of energy in the country like solar energy, water, hydro, geothermal, etc.
“Thus, the Federal Government is encouraging partnership and collaboration between NGSA, NMGS and other relevant stakeholders to explore geothermal energy to put Nigeria in global map, which can also promote tourism.”
The SGF stressed that countries like Kenya and Botswana have gone far in geothermal energy, adding that Nigeria has the potential to do better.
Speaking earlier, the Chairman of the occasion, Prof. Ibrahim Garba, Vice-Chancellor of Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, said the occasion was an opportunity for engineers and scientists to come together and talk about power.
Garba, however, said that there was need to explore the conventional sources of energy before considering the alternatives.
He said that if Kenya and Botswana could generate geothermal energy, Nigeria can do better.
In his good will message, the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, said that with geoscience, information were available to address power shortage.
Mohammed, who was represented by Timothy Oyedeke, a director in the ministry, said power was key to development, job creation and improved standard of living.
Mohammed said: “As government, we support the exploration of geothermal energy: Kenya and Botswana have gone far in this type of energy.
“However, the Information Ministry is willing to use its platforms like National Orientation Agency, News Agency of Nigeria and others to sensitise Nigerians to geothermal energy sources in Nigeria.”
News Agency of Nigeria reports that presents at the event were officials from the ministry of environment, National Hydrological Agency, Solid Mineral Development Fund, National Water Resource Institute, Women in Mining and many others.