Nigeria

NIGERIA

ANALYSIS / ISSUES

Despite Nigeria's large oil and gas resources, the energy industry has been plagued by corruption in government and an inefficient National Electric Power Authority (NEPA). Power shortages and constant blackouts are a result of the country's faulty energy program, and they have prevented Nigeria from further developing its economy. Establishing an energy transmission infrastructure based around a new nuclear power program could help to provide the sufficient, stable energy needed to ensure future economic development.

On January 21, 2005, Nigerian Science and Technology Minister Turner Isoun told the head of the IAEA that Nigeria "would like to seek the assistance and support of the IAEA for the development of two full scale 1,000 megawatt nuclear power plants for the generation of electricity." It was not until July that the IAEA formally acknowledged its plans to aid Nigeria in its development of nuclear power. Nigeria has already ratified the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty and maintains that it is only seeking the technology for peaceful purposes. President Olusegun Obasanjoon told the chief of the IAEA,

"Our desire is to use all available sources of power for the improvement of the lives of Nigerians through the development of health facilities, effective and efficient water management, agriculture and other peaceful purposes."

Some concern was raised, however, over a March 2004 quote by Pakistan's Joint Chiefs Of Staff General Muhammad Aziz Kahn stated that Pakistan "is working out the dynamics of how they can assist Nigeria's armed forces to strengthen its military capability and to acquire nuclear power." The statement was denied by Nigeria as it insisted that the quote was an error that unintentionally referenced nuclear weapons. The statement was also denied by the Pakistan's Foreign Minister.