Vice President Yemi Osinbajo said Tuesday night in Abuja that there was the need for Nigeria to maximize the benefits of its enormous gas reserves.
Osinbajo said this when he received the U.S Special Presidential Envoy on Climate Change, Mr John Kerry, at the Presidential Villa.
He said the use of gas as a transition fuel would not only help in stemming deforestation, but also advance Nigeria’s broader development goals.
The Vice President highlighted the need for Nigeria to continue the exploration and use of gas as a way of arresting deforestation, transiting away from dirtier fuels like diesel, kerosene and petrol.
He said as a country with the largest gas reserves in the world, Nigeria must ensure that it has the necessary energy baseload for industrialisation.
In his remarks, Mr John Kerry praised Nigeria for its energy transition plan and the efforts being made to step up the use of renewables, especially solar and hydropower as major components of the energy mix.
While acknowledging that Nigeria ought to benefit from its gas reserves, Kerry called for more rapid adoption of renewables, especially electric vehicles, which are the next wave in auto manufacturing.
He said the technology of renewables keeps improving daily adding that batteries are already in production which last for more than those that are now in the market.
Upon a request by the Vice President, the Special Envoy promised to assist Nigeria with the necessary expertise to scientifically determine the most appropriate energy mix that would move the country towards the goal of energy for all by 2030 and net zero carbon emissions by 2060 without compromising the its energy security.
The US Special Envoy also affirmed the readiness of the United States Government to assist Nigeria in a bilateral partnership to realise its climate change adaptation and resilience capacity and consolidating the nation’s place as a model for other countries on the planet.
He said the United States looks forward to Nigeria presenting an inspiring position that would attract all the necessary global support at the upcoming COP 27 in Egypt later in the year.
