Malam Mele Kyari, Group Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), has emphasised the importance of energy security to national development.
Kyari stated this on Tuesday in Abuja, during the opening ceremony of the 60th Annual International Conference and Exhibition (AICE) of the Nigerian Mining and Geosciences Society (NMGS).
Delivering his keynote address on the conference theme, ‘Transformation of the Mineral, Energy, Water, and Construction Sectors through Innovations’, he said energy security was crucial for driving economic activities.
“There is no country that does not pay attention to energy security. It is actually national security in every country. It triggers a chain of events, from security issues to economic concerns.
“That is why countries are paying attention to finding their own source of energy locally, “ he said.
He explained that solid minerals were crucial to energy security due to their key role in energy generation, storage, and infrastructure.
Kyari said that the minerals served as the foundation of solar energy and electric vehicle (EV) battery technology, both of which were in high demand due to the increasing adoption of EVs.
He further stated that the global shift toward clean energy has necessitated innovation, which he described as key to transforming the solid minerals sector into a green energy hub, a potential Nigeria possesses.
Highlighting the role of lithium in EV batteries, Kyari noted that the rising demand for electric vehicles was driving the need for lithium-based batteries.
He emphasised that Nigeria had the minerals in commercial quantities and should leverage it for growth and development of the solid minerals sector.
Kyari noted the importance of innovation in improving efficiency and ensuring cost-effective operations, which he described as the core of the mining and geosciences industry.
The NNPCL boss thanked the leadership of the NMGS for raising significant awareness about their relevance and importance in global innovation.
He stated that innovation had driven sustained growth in oil production in the country, adding that the government and oil companies also had established strategic measures to maintain this progress.
In his remarks, the NMGS President, Prof. Akinade Olatunji, said that the organisation had identified the need of innovation in addressing the myriad of challenges in the various sectors of Nigeria’s economy.
Olatunji noted that if sectors, such as water resources, construction, and agriculture undergo the required transformation, it would result in massive advantages for the economy.
He said that the NMGS was not afraid of big challenges, but required the support and trust of the government and the nation to help change the tide.
In his remarks, the governor of Nasarawa, Abdullahi Sule, said the state had introduced technology and innovation into its mining sector.
He said that the state had the largest lithium processing plant in the country, stating that plans wete underway to inaugurate an even bigger lithium processing plant within the next three months.
He noted that mining success relied on technology transfer, saying that industrialising the sector was crucial for Nigeria’s development.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the conference runs from February 16 to 21. (NAN)
