Niger Delta stakeholders including Civil society organizations have questioned Nigeria’s continued dependence on fossil fuels as the global energy system increasingly moves towards cleaner alternatives.

Director of Policy Alert, Tijah Bolton, said Nigeria’s failure to convert its abundant energy resources into public benefit was evident in the continued flaring of natural gas.

He said Nigeria flared 323 billion cubic feet of gas in 2025, with an estimated value of $1.1 billion; gas that he said could have generated about 32,300GWh of electricity.

Bolten spoke in Port Harcourt at a roundtable dialogue on “Who Controls Our Energy? Energy and Social Justice,” organised by Friedrich Ebert Stiftung and Environmental Rights Action.

He called for greater transparency in petroleum contracts and the management of Nigeria’s energy resources to ensure citizens benefit from the wealth generated from their natural resources.

He questioned who ultimately controls the country’s energy resources, pointing to NNPCL, international oil companies, investors and financial institutions, while citizens and host communities largely bear the social and environmental consequences.

He identified weak implementation of energy policies, institutional fragmentation and inadequate accountability as major obstacles to energy justice.

Programs Manager of Environmental Rights Action, Kentebe Ebiaridor, said the dialogue was intended to develop an agenda for energy democracy and a just transition.

According to him, “Where are the host communities in these discussions around energy democracy? What’s Nigerian government thinking about alternatives?”

Ebiaridor said the transition must also carry labour and other sections of society along, stressing that the question of energy ownership must be central to Nigeria’s future energy policy.

“We’re looking at energy democracy. Energy is a big issue and the government needs to address it, particularly how to get energy for everyone, not energy for a few people but energy for all.”

He further urged the Federal Government to rethink its push for increased oil production after decades of petroleum extraction and environmental degradation in the Niger Delta.

“We ask him to have a rethink and to give us energy sovereignty in Nigeria.”

The speakers argued that Nigeria’s energy crisis is fundamentally an issue of ownership, access and power, rather than simply a shortage of resources.

Director of We The People, Mr Ken Henshaw, called for an inclusive energy transition, warning that replacing fossil fuels with renewables without changing existing ownership structures could perpetuate energy inequality.

Henshaw said communities excluded from decisions on oil and gas must have a stake in the renewable energy economy, stressing that the transition must also address the environmental damage caused by decades of oil extraction, including pollution and degraded ecosystems.

He said Nigeria’s energy transition should prioritise people over markets and profits, noting that despite the country’s vast energy resources, millions remain without access to electricity and clean cooking energy.

Henshaw cited National Bureau of Statistics data indicating that only about 53 per cent of Nigerians have access to energy, while electricity generation of about 4,500MW to 5,500MW falls far short of the estimated 35,000MW required for the country’s population of about 230 million.

He noted that states with better energy access, including Lagos, Abuja, Rivers and Ogun, also record stronger economic activity, stressing that “energy is synonymous with economic development and growth.”