Group urges Akwa Ibom govt to domesticate National Energy Transition Plan

Media Advocacy Group on Energy Transition (MAGET) has called on the Akwa Ibom State Government to domesticate the National Energy Transition plan.

It also urged the state government to ensure that it achieved the Sustainable Development Goals 7 (Affordable and Clean Energy), 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities) and 13 (Climate Action).

This was contained in a communique issued at the end of a one-day capacity development workshop for journalists in the State, with the theme: “Energy Transition: Setting Agenda for Clean Economy at Sub-National Level” organized by the Natural Resource Governance Institute and BudgIT, in collaboration with the Dune Newspaper.

It added that the state should interrogate the decommissioning and abandonment plan for stranded oil assets in its communities.

The communique reads in parts, “Akwa Ibom State government should 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).

“It should reduce fossil fuel-based power projects; invest in research and home-grown innovations on clean energy, training and capacity building for youth and women on large-scale renewable energy (solar, hydro and wind) projects, and environmental management; prioritising investments in sustainable agriculture, maritime and solid minerals.”

The group also called on the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) to immediately commit fines for gas flaring, just as it tasked the Management of Host Communities Development Trusts to invest in green and renewable energy projects.

The group encouraged journalists to be committed in reporting energy transition, spotlighting research findings on home-grown solutions on improving accessibility and affordability of clean energy, as well as creating more awareness and supporting all State Government’s initiatives aimed at raising revenue in the non-oil sectors.