Nigeria is Ready For Nuclear Energy - Fashola

       The Federal Government on Wednesday,
said Nigeria was ready to commence the
production of nuclear energy.
The Minster of Power, Works and Housing,
Mr Babatunde Fashola, who made this
known at the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN)
Forum in Abuja, said Nigeria had secured
the necessary certification from the
International Atomic Energy Agency(IAEA).
Fashola said: "`This thing has protocols and
standards; we are already in it; we are not
venturing into it; we started a nuclear
programme 17 years ago.
``We have gone through the training level;
we have produced 25 graduates of master’s
level under certification by the International
Atomic Energy Agency.
``We have found the sites; the sites have
been approved, two sites have been
approved by International Atomic Energy
Agency.
``We have started the design for the
financing; that is the stage we are now;
once we conclude that, we move to the
design for the construction.
``If all things go well, by quarter four of next
year - that is the schedule that I met - we
should have started construction, so that is
what I meet.``
Fashola said it was important for Nigeria to
focus on the gains and safety of nuclear
energy as obtained in other developed
countries.
He said that since the whole world was
moving toward a cleaner fuel and the use of
more sustainable form of energy, Nigeria
could be an exception.
He, however, said that the developed
countries could only share the technology
with countries ready keep to the standards
in the utilisation of the technology.
The minister further said that diversifying
the nation’s energy mix would lead to the
utilisation of the various forms of renewable
energy sources in the country.
This, according to him, will ultimately make
electricity cheap in the country.
``What we are thinking about is long-term
solution. We need a solution that will endure
for generations to come.
``When you design a power solution, design
it so that the next coming generations can
use it.
He said the ministry and other agencies
under his supervision were working hard to
ensure that Nigeria obtained the best in the
electricity industry through strict regulatory
responsibilities.
On the monthly meeting with stakeholders in
the industry, Fashola said it was designed to
evolve better ways of managing the industry,
adding that it was yielding the desired
results.