The European Union (EU) is supporting the Federal Government to carry out the Nigeria residential sector demand-side survey to reach 5,400 households across the six geopolitical zones.

The survey is aimed at helping the government to formulate and implement functional energy policies.

The survey would be conducted in the framework of the EU’s Global Gateway Initiative. the brainchild of the EU and the International Energy Agency (IEA) in partnership with the Federal Ministry of Power, the Energy Commission of Nigeria and the National Bureau of Statistics.

The Minister of Power, Chief Adebayo Adelabu, at the official launch of the Nigeria Residential Sector Demand-Side Survey in Abuja, said the Bola Ahmed Tinubu-led administration is committed to giving reliable, uninterrupted, stable, and functional electricity to households, businesses, and to industries.

Adelabu said the survey is expected to generate accurate and comprehensive data on energy consumption and demand across the country.

He said that these included the rural and hard-to-reach areas, towards ensuring unhindered access to energy to power industries, fuel transportation, and illuminate homes.

“The provision of reliable energy to the citizens remains the only way to realise the potential of the abundance of human and natural resources in the country.

“We have concluded the diagnosis and have passed that stage. We know what the problem is with the power sector, we know the obstacles and hindrances

“Nigeria’s energy sector diagnosis has been concluded with the obstacles and hindrances identified and all the problems along the implementation lines will be crushed.”

Adelabu said that financing was one of the key issues identified, and stressed the need to adequately fund generation, transmission, and distribution, and ensure that all consumers were properly metered.

“This is the only way that we can actually guarantee liquidity into the sector as these funds cannot be provided by the Federal Government alone.

“We need all levels of government from the federal to the states, and the local government, most especially the private sector investors, both locally and offshore,” he said

Adelabu commended the EU, the World Bank, the African Development Bank (AfDB) and Agence Française de Développement (AFD) for partnering with Nigeria to address the myriad of problems in the sector.

He, however, said that more was still required .

“Like Oliver Twist, we are asking for more. They need to invest more in this country. Nigeria has over 200 million people. So we are still scratching the surface.

“The entire world would also know when we actually achieve our full potential. This is achievable only with reliable electricity,” he said.

The EU Deputy Ambassador to Nigeria and ECOWAS, Mr. Zissimos Vergos, said the survey would contribute towards addressing Nigeria’s energy problems.

Vergos the survey said was in alignment with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the broader aspirations of Nigeria, particularly the eight -point agenda of the current administration.

“The importance of this survey is to go out there, take a transparent stock of the situation, inform the policy makers about the needs which everybody knows are enormous.

“This way, appropriate solutions can be found from its different location and accurate data is necessary to drive investment in the energy sector.

“What is also important is that anybody that wants to invest, it doesn’t matter if it is a big investor or small investor, or a household, they need data in order to calculate the type of investment suitable for its needs.

“The exercise goes beyond conducting a survey,it is also about profiling the energy needs of the country, and trying to connect the public and private sectors, and the society, in identifying solutions that can take them out of a dead end.”

Vergos said that although the project would address energy needs,it also has to do with poverty alleviation, empowerment of citizens, and political inclusion.

The Statistician General of Federation and head of the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), Adeyemi Adeniran, while fielding questions from newsmen, explained that the final report of the survey would be expected by April.

Adeniran said that the survey would be conducted by visiting selected households across the six geopolitical zones.

“We have selected 5,400 households. Enumerators and our field staff will be visiting the households to interview them using what we call the computer assisted personal interview devices,” he said.

Ms Mary Warlick ,Deputy Executive Director, IEA, in her goodwill message, said the agency was delighted to partner with Nigeria in the survey.

“As an agency with energy data and analysis at its core, the IEA is very key to supporting Nigeria with capacity building and energy statistics through the Energy Sub-Saharan African programme.’’

Warlick said the event demonstrated the important role energy data played in supporting energy policy design.

She added that the development of more accurate and real-time statistics in Nigeria, together with the strengthening of energy models for planning purposes, presented a real win for all involved.