Reps to probe MDAs investment in renewable energy
House of Representatives
The House of Representatives on Thursday mandated its committee on renewable energy to investigate Ministries, Departments, and Agencies with dealings in investment, procurement, and receipt of grants for the development of the renewable energy sector.
The probe, which covers the period from 2015 to 2024, is to be conducted within four weeks ahead of the submission of a report to the House for further legislative action.
The resolutions of the House were sequel to the adoption of a motion titled “Need to Investigate Investments in Renewable Energy Sector and Foreign Grants received from 2015 till date”, sponsored by the lawmaker representing Oshodi-Isolo II Federal Constituency, Lagos State, Jesse Onuakalusi.
Leading the debate, the lawmaker said the parliament was aware that poor electricity generation, transmission and distribution constituted a huge threat to the nation’s quest for industrial and technological development.
“The House said is cognisant of the fact that successive governments since 2015, in a bid to address electricity supply challenges, made huge investments and attracted multimillion-dollar foreign grants to the renewable energy subsector of the power industry in Nigeria to energise viable and sustainable alternative energy and supply.
“In December 2023, the World Bank approved a $750m facility to boost renewable energy in Nigeria, to provide over 17.5m Nigerians with improved access to electricity through distributed renewable energy solutions.
“The House recalls that in 2020, the Federal Government launched a $200m renewable energy project tagged ‘Nigeria Electrification Project’ to provide off-grid energy to over 500,000 people across 105,000 households in rural communities in Nigeria with facilities sourced from the African Development Bank.
“The House also recalls that in 2023, the Rural Electrification Agency reported that over $2bn in renewable energy had been attracted without any noticeable improvement,” he said.
The lawmaker further noted that despite the huge investments and foreign grants to develop the renewable energy sector and contribute meaningfully to the public grid to improve electricity supply and boost the economy, “No visible contribution from the renewable energy mix to the national grid has been recorded,” stressing that “The dysfunctional electricity generation and supply system remained abetted, contrary to the objective behind the purpose-driven government investment and grants attracted and received to develop the renewable energy sector”.
When the Deputy Speaker, Benjamin Kalu, put the motion to a voice vote, members voted overwhelmingly in support of the prayers.
