The Vice-Chancellor, of Covenant University, Professor Abiodun H. Adebayo, has described the topic of the University’s 30th Inaugural Lecture, which was held on Friday, October 27, 2023, as very germane and timely, coming on the heels of global outcries on the effect of greenhouse emissions on climate change.
He made this assertion during his welcome remarks at the Inaugural Lecture, with the topic, “Sustainable Energy and Production Technology: Panacea for the Development We Want,” where he stated that Nigeria’s greenhouse gas emissions continue to rise with its attendant environmental and health challenges, while the cost of energy generation, distribution and consumption continue to increase.
The VC enthused, “We are delighted to present another topical lecture that addresses a fundamental aspect of our national life and sustainable economic development.”
He bemoaned the fact that despite the high cost of electricity in the country, a large number of the population remains in darkness without access to energy.
“Research has proved that fossil fuels such as coal, oil and gas are by far the largest contributors to global climate change, accounting for over 75 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions and nearly 90 percent of all carbon dioxide emissions.
“The effect of greenhouse gas emissions is quite horrendous. The world is now warming faster than at any point in recorded history. This has led to severe storms, hotter temperatures, increased drought exacerbating water shortages, global rise in hunger and poor nutrition, and increased health risks.”
According to him, “Recent research findings released by the World Health Organization projects that between 2030 and 2050, climate change is expected to cause approximately 250,000 additional deaths per year, from undernutrition, malaria, diarrhea and heat stress alone. It further states that from 1990 to 2019, the total warming effect from greenhouse gases added by humans to the earth’s atmosphere increased by 45 percent. The report noted that the warming effect associated with carbon dioxide alone increased by 36 percent.
“As Nigeria’s greenhouse gas emissions continue to rise with its attendant environmental and health challenges, the cost of energy generation, distribution and consumption continue to increase. For instance, in the current Multi-Year Tariff Order – 2022 (MYTO – 2022) approved by the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) to run from 2022 to 2026, consumers, who were paying about N16 per kilowatt/hour in 2015 now pay about N55. Despite the high cost of electricity in Nigeria, a large number of the population remain in darkness without access to electricity.
“According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), more than 140 million do not have access to energy in Nigeria, which is about 71% of the country’s population. This inaccessibility to energy has also impacted adversely on the industrial development of the country and exacerbated poverty, economic growth decline, poor health services, poor research development and socio-economic imbalance. Addressing this power grid issue as the population grows rapidly remains one of the challenges the government faces to ensure the economic development of the nation.”
Professor Adebayo added, “As a country with a fast growing population with a high demand for energy, scaling the energy sector is key to unlocking the nation’s economic development. Solar, mini-grids and off-grid technology could help address Nigeria’s energy challenges.
He reiterated the University’s commitment to research, “We remain committed to promoting research efforts to evolve innovative solutions to facilitate the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals. Our efforts as a University in providing affordable, reliable, and clean energy, which is in alignment with SDG 7, has earned us Top 80 globally, where Covenant was ranked 79 at the 2023 Times Higher Education Impact Rankings of Universities.”