Looking Towards a Digitally Transformed and Energy Secure Nigeria

The question is why we are unable to muster what we have towards solving a problem that others have already shown us how to solve

Nigeria boasts massive energy resources cutting across crude oil and gas, solar energy, a bit of wind energy, and lots of the enabling elements such as iron ore and lithium that are now the livewire of industrialisation. In addition to these resources, Nigeria also boasts an impressive array of human capital straddling the engineering domain, yet Africa’s most populous, well-endowed nation, continues to suffer self-inflicted energy poverty.

The situation seems dire. About half of the population lack access to electricity, while the other half have access to epileptic supply with blackouts very frequent, while the national grid finds periodic reasons to collapse, or in current parlance, to be “disturbed”. Outside the electricity space, millions of Nigerians continue to cook with unhealthy wood stoves (“firewood”) due to the relative cost of cooking gas and the astronomical rise in the cost of kerosene, which used to be very popular among less wealthy Nigerians.

On the surface, it would appear that hope is far, talk less of being renewed, but if we refer to the first paragraph about Nigeria’s resources, the question that comes to mind is why we continue to suffer in the midst of plenty? Why are we unable to muster our resources towards solving problems when other countries have already shown us the “past questions”?  Why has the available energy per capita stagnated?

In my view, the issue is not merely technical. The challenges are known, and solutions exist—they just need tailoring to Nigeria’s context. That tailoring demands political will, non-negotiable, because it requires untangling a knot of technical, commercial, and social factors while balancing competing interests. We want energy for all, but also reliable payments to sustain supply, and pricing must reflect economic realities so effective demand endures. Managing that interface falls to policymakers and stakeholders who must embrace energy economics.

But while we wait for the policy side to be gotten right, the engineering profession has a duty of care to the nation to ensure that technical aspects of the energy equations are well covered. Professionalism is key and enforcing this is where bodies like COREN and NSE have their work cut out. While policymakers have their own faults, they are not the ones who tell the educational system to launch half-baked graduates. Would every lecturer and student boldly say that they have discharged their duties to the best of their ability? Who signs off on incompetent designs, substandard installations, or connections that resemble tangled bird nests? Who bypasses meters, calibrates petrol pumps to cheat, or steals crude and refined products? It is the engineers, technologists, technicians, and artisans with the technical ability and authority who by their actions and inactions worsen Nigeria’s energy challenges.

On another front, digital transformation is rightly a buzzword. “Smart” systems run on data, yet Nigeria struggles to collect, preserve, analyse, and act on data. Perhaps because data transparency threatens opaque systems that enable corruption. Moving forward, we need a mindset shift from opacity to transparency, enabling authoritative planning and maintenance. Quality data would help address poor maintenance, which is a key driver of supply failures. We must install systems for real-time data collection and analysis, with consequences for sabotage.

Since digital tools depend on electricity, digital transformation cannot exist effectively when energy poverty exists. So, we must fix the energy supply side, while simultaneously embedding appropriate digital solutions to optimise value realisation. “Appropriate” is key because we should deploy tools that meet our needs, rather than “gold-plating” energy infrastructure just to appear trendy. The value to be derived from a digital solution should justify its cost. If this is ensured, Nigeria would be able to revamp the energy sector, ensuring access to reliable and affordable energy for all Nigerians.

It is important to conclude by reiterating the role of the engineering profession in achieving a digitally transformed and energy secure Nigeria. The government and its array of policy makers would craft and implement a blueprint tailored to the Nigerian environment, but regardless of the preferred framework, the technical aspects will be the responsibility of the engineering profession. Therefore, we must ensure that when our professionalism and integrity are tested, we do not fail.

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Jonah Ibiamagabara is an engineer who operates at the intersection of project management and engineering, bringing his growing expertise in risk management towards supporting the delivery of gas infrastructure projects across Nigeria.

This article was published in the July 2026 edition of The Nigerian Young Engineers, a publication of the Young Engineers Forum of Nigeria, Nigerian Society of Engineers

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