NAEC : Mulling government, stakeholders for Nigeria’s advancement in nuclear technology

By Abubakar Yusuf

The appointment of Professor Yusuf Aminu Ahmed as the new Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Nigeria Atomic Energy Commission, NAEC in September, 2021 had justified the efforts by the new leadership to turn around Nigeria into exploring and exploiting nuclear energy as another avenue to develop th socio-economic and infrastructural development in all spheres.

His appointment at a time when there was clamour by management and stakeholders of the Commission’s efforts towards formulating a well contrived policy thrust, that will inculcate nuclear energy in all facets of our national life when fully harnessed and utilised, in line with our quest for diverse technologies to drive the technological based economy across the globe.

Coincidentally, the astute Professor of Nuclear Physics with distinct academic background in combination with versed managerial acumen, had driven the dire quest to chat the road map towards inculcating nuclear energy into the facets of our national with strict provision to the modus operandi.

Conversely, having acted in that capacity for awhile, it became apparent of the need to pursue the desire to fashion out a well articulated policy thrust aimed at realising the set objectives.

The clamour became legitimate hence it was geared towards not only achieving economic stability, advancement but sustained one that will become the cynosure of other sectors.

With the mandate to develop and deploy nuclear energy, the need to invest more in the sector in Nigeria cannot be overemphasized, as the advantages outweighs the disadvantages when carefully deployed in line with the lay down procedures.

According to the new leadership of the commission, it is already to the public knowledge that countries around the globe had managed the rare energy, through its deployment into provision of electricity generation, waste management among many others, with Nigeria not an exception.

Hence government at all levels has no reasons not to embrace the alternative energy outlet using the nuclear energy as a launching pad that will lead to the rejuvenation of the ailing word economies with Nigeria not an exception.

The need to reinvigorate pubic private partnerships with supports from stakeholders across the globe will further reduce to the barest minimum insinuations, about the negative impact of new area aimed at resolving energy crises bedeviling the country.

Therefore, the clamour by the current management on government to invest more in nuclear energy was the right step in the right direction, along with the need to open up research in citadel of learning and higher institutions as the country has the capacity to manage nuclear energy deployment locally.

With the world economies crumbling and battling with recession intermittently, amidst unreliable and fluctuating GDP as a result of inflationary rates, compounded by the growing employment rates, experts prediction of more harder times ahead, the need to embrace the application of nuclear energy in our national life became germane and needful.

The timely introduction and initiatives by Professor Yusuf Aminu led management of NAEC will herald a new chapter for deployment of nuclear energy, utilisation in Nigeria that will not only be the pride of the nation’s largest and expanded economy, but for other nation’s both developing as underdeveloped to replicate as a leeway .

Written by Abubakar Yusuf, a Public Affairs Analyst, and can be reached on yus.abubakar3@gmail.com.