Nigeria’s immediate past power minister, Prof. Chinedu Nebo has said Nigeria would need to begin to look to renewable energy sources as a quick and reliable way to get out of her energy poverty.

Nebo, a former university teacher and administrator, was Nigeria’s power minister for close to two year when former president, Goodluck Jonathan was in charge of the country’s affairs.

He developed and got the federal executive council to approve a renewable energy policy for the country, and signed it off for use before he left office in 2015.

He also initiated a novel off-grid RE programme – operation light up rural Nigeria, to electrify far-flung rural communities in the country using RE solutions.

The former minister however said at a recent occasion organised by the Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE) in Abuja that the country’s power supply challenges were not unbeatable, and that RE solutions could make a huge difference in the situation.

He called for a new thrust in RE deployment, adding that the country cannot continue to overlook RE.

“We need a new thrust for renewable energy. Solar is cheap and free, why don’t we look to it.

Although the initial costs may be high but along the line these costs drop and the benefits are so much over a long period,” said Nebo who delivered a lecture on the falling standards of engineering education at the NSE meeting.