TotalEnergies E&P Nigeria has called on students to nurture reading habits to enhance their mental capabilities.
The call was made during the 2023 DW Book Reading and Open Day with the theme “A Chapter a Day Keeps the Brain Alert” held recently in Lagos.
In her opening address, the General Manager of Total Country Services, Adesua Adewole, said, “Students should cultivate the habit of reading to keep them mentally fit and noted that they were privileged to have been selected to represent their various schools.”
She urged them to encourage their fellow schoolmates on the importance of reading when they get back to their various schools.
Adewole advised the students that by reading, they could enhance their abilities and acquire a greater depth of knowledge.
She commended the teachers in attendance in commemoration of the 2023 World Teachers’ Day celebration for their unwavering dedication and significant role in moulding the lives of students.
The Deputy Managing Director of TotalEnergies, Victor Bamidele, who was represented by the Executive General Manager, Deep Water Field Operations, TotalEnergies, Adeyemi Akinlalu, in his speech, stated that “The primary objective of our organisation for this event is to foster a culture of reading among students, motivating them to cultivate this practice as a means of expanding their knowledge.
“The open day serves as an opportunity to delve into career paths, uncover the prerequisites and prospects in various fields, and provide guidance to students in making informed early career choices.”
Remarks by the Commissioner of Education for Lagos State, Jamiu Alli-Balogun, represented by Director of Co-Curriculum Services, Mr Abatan, commended TotalEnergies for their annual reading initiative, acknowledging their significant contribution to promoting literacy and education in the region.
“This initiative has greatly benefited the youth of Lagos and demonstrates TotalEnergies’ commitment to enhancing educational opportunities, contributing to the overall development of the state and Nigeria,” Alli-Balogun said.
Stakeholders urged to boost energy investment
Nigeria must drive investments in the power sector in order to generate an additional 195,400 megawatts to meet its recommended 200, 000MW electricity needs.
Group Managing Director, Mojec International Limited, Chantelle Abdul, who disclosed this at the just-concluded yearly strategic international conference of the Association of Energy Correspondents of Nigeria, in Lagos, said since the country currently generated an average of 4600MW electricity daily, an additional 195,400MW could be achieved only through huge investments.
Nigeria is currently home to more than 200 million people.
According to her, low energy generation was responsible for frequent blackouts being experienced in the country.
Abdul, in a presentation at the conference, said: “Based on international standards of 1 GW (1000MW) to one million people, the country is expected to at least generate 200GW (200,000MW) to give the population better access to electricity.”
“Nigeria has the capacity to generate 12.5GW (12,000MW) of electricity, but owing to different reasons, the 29 generation companies (GenCos) are only able to generate, transmit and distribute between 3GW to 5GW (3,000MW to 5,000MW),” she said.
Nigeria, which is Africa’s most populous country with over 200 million people, faces surging electricity demand owing to rapid urbanisation and industrialisation.
Abdul explained that before 2023, there were 26 gas-powered plants and three hydro plants, but the approval of 11 new Gencos in 2023 has taken the country’s electricity generating plants to 40.
Currently, Egbin has the highest capacity as a gas plant to produce 1.39GW (1,390MW), and Kainji Jebba Power Plc has the highest capacity as a Hydro plant to produce 1.33GW (1, 330MW).
Abdul said that solar plants could be introduced to the state governments to serve as a means to generate electricity for their various regions.