17 February 2010
World Bank chief warns Nigeria on use of generators
Posted by admin under: Uncategorized .
Excepts from a report by Gbenga Omokunu in The Nation (17/02/10)
The World Bank Country Director for Nigeria, Mr. Onno Ruhl, has warned that the country will not meet its vision 20-20-20 target if it continues to run on generators.
Ruhl gave the warning yesterday in a presentation of the world development report on climate change at the opening session of a two-day National Climate Change Post-Copenhagen Summit organised by the World Bank in Abuja.
According to the country director, who presented a paper on the issue of regional climate change: “successive governments in the country knew how to appropriate money to projects but do not know how to put the money appropriated to effective use”.
He said: “In Nigeria you know how to throw money at issues, but you don’t know how to make the money work because there is a whale lot to be done. Nigeria, being a very important country in Africa, must lead the way in the fight against climate change. For the country to achieve a carbon-free economy, Nigeria must lead the way in the campaign against climate change. But it is very unlikely that this would happen if the country continues to operate on generators. I must tell you, if Nigeria continues to run on generators, the country would not achieve Vision 20-20-20 target on environment”.
Also speaking on energy equation, Ruhl revealed that about $200 million clean technology fund of the World Bank was yet to be accessed by Nigeria; adding that this was necessary if the country must attain carbon-free economy.
“We are looking on a way for Nigeria to spend the $200 million that was already available from the clean technology fund. We have a major mission which is how we move to the next level and, we must be very proactive in doing that so as to enable the country achieve a carbon-free economy”, he said.
However, Ruhl said that Nigeria, being one of the largest economies and fastest growing countries in Africa, has an ambitious vision which must be tailored towards the achievement of reduction of global greenhouse emission.
Read the rest of this report here The Nation
