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Rural Electrification Permutations in Nigeria

Referencing and Cross-Referencing Contemporary Social License Imperatives

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The Palgrave Handbook of Social License to Operate and Energy Transitions

Part of the book series: Palgrave Studies in Energy Transitions ((PSET))

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Abstract

The positive correlation between electricity efficiency and broad-based socioeconomic development has been well-established. In this regard, diverse institutional interests in Nigeria have consistently reneged from adopting inclusive and sustainable electrification practices. Nigeria’s electricity sector is grossly underperforming and yearning for robust policy implementation to forestall a system eclipse. The poor electricity climate is further compounded by the increasing domestic necessities, escalating economic growth pressures, and regional instability considerations. Nigeria’s electricity conundrum is a case study in multilateral levels of regulatory contradictions, challenging capacity deficits, and endemic breaches culminating in widely unsatisfactory public outcomes. Identifiable actors are accountable for engendering a culture of low policy deployment, particularly regarding sustaining functional governance and institutional processes. Notably, the harshest brunt of suboptimal policy posturing is most evident in rural areas. This chapter deconstructs particular aspects of the socio-contractual and regulatory matrix underpinning rural electrification. Instructively, the chapter details a critique of specific aspects of Nigeria’s electricity-regulatory framework, depicts applicable social license conceptualizations, and also integrates requisite theoretical narratives. The author advances the view that the prevailing electricity regulatory climate is not adequately reflective of Nigeria’s rural communities’ administrative preferences, consumption behavior, and long-term infrastructure utility prospects. The chapter concludes with relevant energy policy governance propositions in the light of the urgency to reverse Nigeria’s rural electrification deficit.

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Notes

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    Ohiare (n 12).

  22. 22.

    Social and Economic Rights Accountability Project (SERAP), a non-governmental organization, is currently suing the Nigerian Government to account for $16 Billion in stolen or mismanaged funds budgeted for the supply of electricity to millions of Nigerians.

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    See Section 6(6) (c) of the 1999 Constitution as amended.

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    Taiwo Olaiya, “Interrogating the Non-Justiciability of Constitutional Directive Principles and Public Policy Failure in Nigeria” (2015) 8(3) Journal of Politics and Law 15–23.

  44. 44.

    The Mambilla Hydropower was initially conceptualized in 1972, but contractual award formalities for commencement of project development were finalized in 2007, and this amounts to 35 year gap after the project was originally conceived. Environmental approvals governing project development were received sometime in December 2011, but developmental activity was disrupted till 2016 due to administrative conflicts. In November 2017, the engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) was awarded by the Nigerian Federal Ministry of Power and Works to a consortium of companies, with the proposed installed capacity having been scaled up from 2,600MW to 3,050MW. See https://www.nsenergybsiness.com/projects/mambilla-hydropower-project-nigeria/

  45. 45.

    See RESIP (n 26) Sec 3.1.

  46. 46.

    See ibid Sec 2.2.

  47. 47.

    As of 2012, about 1,600 abandoned rural electrification projects were identified in all the States of the Federation, and the cost of completion was estimated in the range of N40 billion ($205 million).

  48. 48.

    See RESIP (n 26) Section 3.5.12.

  49. 49.

    The FGN has set an ambitious target: to make reliable electricity available to75% of the population (rural and urban) by 2021 and at least 10% of renewable energy mix by 2025. The government shall also strive to achieve 90% electricity access by 2030.

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  1. Olabode A. Oyewunmi

    Present address: College of Management and Social Sciences, Covenant University, Ota, Nigeria

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    1. Olabode A. Oyewunmi
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    1. Lecturer in Energy and Environmental Law, School of Law, University of Stirling, Stirling, UK

      Geoffrey Wood

    2. Dept. of Asian and International Studies, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon, Hong Kong, China

      Jędrzej Górski

    3. Research Fellow, SEI Headquarters – Energy & Industry Transition Team, Linnégatan, Stockholms Län, Sweden

      Gokce Mete

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    Oyewunmi, O.A. (2022). Rural Electrification Permutations in Nigeria. In: Wood, G., Górski, J., Mete, G. (eds) The Palgrave Handbook of Social License to Operate and Energy Transitions. Palgrave Studies in Energy Transitions. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-74725-1_2-2

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    • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-74725-1_2-2

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    1. Latest

      Rural Electrification Permutations in Nigeria
      Published:
      24 March 2023

      DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-74725-1_2-2

    2. Original

      Rural Electrification Permutations in Nigeria
      Published:
      18 June 2022

      DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-74725-1_2-1

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