Who Can Give Me Cooking Gas; Okay, Who Will?
A sustainable energy security in Nigeria will require a deliberate effort by government to deal. It will require a leadership that keeps the citizenry at the heart of all policy framings and execution. God has, on His part, allowed the fortunes of nature to be prodigiously generous to us as a nation.
For instance, with a massive 187 trillion cubit feet of proven gas deposit, the nation stands as a prominent member of states endowed with abundant natural gas. We therefore have no business depleting our forests in search of firewoods and charcoal. Our gas-fired power stations equally have no business shutting down due to unavailability of gas.
If gas is made available for domestic use, a lot of stress and dangers encountered in most rural homes would have been removed. Homes merely need to light their cookers whenever it’s time to prepare a meal. The day our nation succeeds in demystifying the secrets around gas – and in this case, gas for domestic uses, the world will stand still for us. As a matter of fact, we ought to start seeing at our enormous gas deposit as a national resource upon which solutions to many of our problems rests. This clearly is a matter of urgency.
Of course, it is not all gloom for the Nigerian liquefied natural gas. Mr President is doing a magnificent lot in trying to earn big dollars from gas. Although some consider it as an elitist project because some believe that the focus is not on our kitchens but on the other nations. It is difficult to disagree with mouthers of this concern given the challenges Nigerians perennially face accessing and enjoying what is theirs. But whether the philosophy of the project is elitist or populist, that our Country is pulling this off at this time is big news (reader may Google “Ajaokuta-Kaduna-Kano AKK” for more on this). And, frankly, this project is massive and cheering to the heart. It is a legacy project that a younger, vibrant and boundlessly ambitious successor should warm up to.
Many believe that the Executive Governor of Kogi State, Alhaji Yahaya Bello has eyes for youthful, resourceful and useful associates in governance that is indicative of what Nigerians are looking forward to. The attractions he holds for smart people offers a rich prospect for a well managed Nigerian energy mix. It is up to his admirers across the Country and around the world to stand strong and ensure he attains the golden fleece. They must resist the inducements peddled by corrupt billionaire agents of the power grabbing elites.
I ghọtara that kain thing, my brethren?
