Nigeria’s Energy Future Hinges on Balanced Reforms, Innovation — Dr Uche Ogah

President of Masters Energy Group and former Minister of State for Mines and Steel Development, Dr Uchechukwu Ogah, has said Nigeria’s energy future depends on striking a balance between ambitious reforms and practical national realities. He urged stakeholders to align policies, investments, and innovation to drive sustainable growth.

Speaking at the 2025 NAEC Energy Conference themed “Nigeria’s Energy Future: Optimising Opportunities and Addressing Risks for Sustainable Growth,” Dr Ogah, who chaired the event, emphasised the need for pragmatic reforms and policy consistency to advance the country’s energy transition.

He highlighted the transformative potential of the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) 2021 and the Electricity Act 2023, stressing that their success relies on effective coordination between government and industry players.

> “Nigeria’s energy future is not a choice between opportunity and risk; it is a challenge to navigate both dynamics together,” he stated. “Success requires a strategy that leverages our strengths while tackling our vulnerabilities head-on.”

Citing a Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE) report, Dr Ogah noted that national power generation remains below 50% of installed capacity due to gas shortages and transmission challenges.

He outlined three key priorities for Nigeria’s energy sector: ensuring reforms deliver tangible outcomes, maximising the value of hydrocarbon assets before global demand declines, and expanding affordable electricity access for all citizens.

Dr Ogah reaffirmed that oil and gas remain vital to Nigeria’s economy, providing nearly 70% of export earnings and millions of jobs. He described gas commercialisation projects such as the Utorogu Gas Processing Facility as critical to industrial growth and clean energy access, calling gas the nation’s “strategic bridge fuel.”

However, he cautioned that underinvestment, oil theft, and insecurity threaten the full implementation of the PIA.

Dr Ogah described the global energy transition as “the greatest economic opportunity of the 21st century” for Nigeria, given its vast solar and wind potential and youthful workforce. He called on the country to exceed its 30% renewable energy target by 2030, warning that inaction could relegate Nigeria to a consumer of imported technologies.

> “We must not be consumers of the green economy; we must be creators within it,” he declared.

Commending the Association of Energy Correspondents of Nigeria (NAEC) for fostering vital dialogue between government, industry, and the media, Dr Ogah identified gas, renewables, and innovation as the three growth frontiers for the energy sector.

He advocated investment in utility-scale solar farms, mini-grids, and local solar manufacturing under the proposed Nigerian Solar Manufacturing Initiative, while also highlighting blue hydrogen, biofuels, and critical mineral exploration as vital pathways to industrial diversification.

Dr Ogah further outlined key risks hindering the sector’s growth — including policy inconsistency, infrastructure deficits, security challenges, and skills shortages — and proposed actionable measures such as a single-window licensing system, modernising the national grid, and benefit-sharing models to strengthen investor confidence and community relations.

> “Policy certainty attracts capital; community trust protects it,” he remarked.

On human capital, he proposed establishing a National Energy Transition Academy and warned against industrial unrest, referencing recent disputes between PENGASSAN and the Dangote Refinery.

Concluding his address, Dr Ogah called for collective action from all stakeholders, urging the government to sustain reform consistency, industry players to align with ESG principles, and journalists to promote solution-driven reporting.

> “By optimising today’s hydrocarbon assets and building tomorrow’s clean-energy ecosystem,” he said, “we can fuel sustainable growth for every Nigerian.”