The Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Gboyega Oyetola, has said that Nigeria is going to leverage on its vast marine resources to generate clean energy to support the current power being generated in the country.
The Minister disclosed this at a stakeholder sensitization workshop on Deep Seabed activities in Abuja, adding that the transition from fossil fuel to a mineral-based economy, using the Country’s marine resources, would herald the generation of clean energy.
Oyetola noted that meffective harnessing of these energy resources will significantly contribute to the nations energy needs.
He also said the country is capitalising on the global surge in deep-sea exploration as a major oil producing country with an extensive coastline and inland waterways as the country cannot afford to lag behind.
“Deep seabed hold vast minerals reserves that can significantly reduce dependency on land mining, hence the need for a regulatory framework for the exploration of the deep seabed resources,” said Oyetola
The Permanent Secretary, Mr Michael Oluremi earlier in his welcome remarks affirmed the relatively uncharted terrain of deep seabed activities while explaining that the workshop is aimed at illuminating the opportunities and importance of exploring Africa’s continental shelf, as well as ensuring responsible environment management and adherence to regulatory framework.
The Director General of the Nigeria Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Dr Dayo Moberola during the presentation of an overview of the Deep Seabed prospect for blue economy noted that countries like Norway and Japan commenced crafting regulatory frameworks that balance economic exploitation with environmental safeguards, hence the need for Nigeria to take similar steps by adapting its existing laws to align with International Seabed Authority (ISA) regulations and the United Nation Convention on Laws of the Sea (UNCLOS) framework.
“It is estimated that global demands for some of such minerals will rise as much as 400-600% in the coming decades as the world increases its reliance on wind and solar power, electric vehicle batteries and other zero-carbon technologies.
“Although there has been high interest in deep seabed mining due to the significance of these metals, but there have not been commercial operations of the mining as there are concerns about environmental impacts and the need for a regulatory framework.
“Nigeria has long benefited from its offshore oil and gas resources, he said ” As we look into the future, the deep seabed exploration presents an opportunity to expand our maritime resources beyond energy and align with the global shift towards sustainable development.”
The DG further said the ocean floor is home to fragile ecosystems and unique biodiversity, as seabed mining activities could disrupt these habitats as well as portend potential risks to the environmental Impact leading to potential damage to ecosystems, biodiversity and water quality.
He higlighted other challenges to include Inadequate Regulatory framework, technical difficulties, harsh deep-sea conditions, high cost and associated risks, social risks such as loss of livelihood, Community displacement, and relocation.
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