|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
TellCo Europe Nigeria has said it was determined to end the energy poverty in Nigeria.
Speaking at a media event to mark this year’s World Environment Day at its corporate office in Lagos, Wale Omole, a professor and chairman of the company said the coming into the country of the brand of the TellCoSol off-grid solar system, launched a few weeks back, was the beginning of a conscious effort to end energy challenges in Nigeria.
Speaking on the reason for the celebration of the Environment Day, Omole lamented the destructive and dangerous activities of human beings, noting that such activities had contributed to the diseases and infirmities besetting the citizens of Nigeria.
“Human beings are the ones to protect ourselves but we are not; we are destroying ourselves and our environment. Now the main reason for the celebration is to remind us from year to year that the Creator provided everything for us (that’s what is called nature); nature will always be there but human beings have come to cause a whole lot of problems for themselves – they cause erosion; we want to have energy we dig the land to get coal. Here we are dealing for petroleum and fossil fuel, and for this we devastate our land. You know the issue of Ogoni land; we are flaring gas and all that. That’s not the job of the Creator. His intention was for us to enjoy and manage the environment well; but because we are looking here and there we are destroying the environment and by extension, ourselves,” he said.
Advocating a change of attitude, he said: “What we should do and campaign for our country is the need for us to manage the environment. There is Environmental Protection Agency all over the world, but each of us must be an environmental protection agent. Something should be done right. Everybody in Nigeria must know that we should not throw garbage in gutters and streets. These are the issues we are dealing with.”
“So, World Environmental Day is the day we should remind ourselves, most people did not know the meaning of this and here is where the media comes in. It is to tell each and every one of us to take care of our environment. We cannot change nature; if we don’t cooperate with nature so that we can live longer, so that we can have a better world and also enjoy the grace of God, if we do otherwise, we are the ones that will be killing ourselves.
Speaking on the mission of TellCo Europe Nigeria to emphasise and propagate alternative source of energy, Omole said: “By the way, can’t we have another source of energy? Must it be fossil fuels? I know we have crude oil; it has been more devastating than otherwise because there is an alternative – clean and renewable energy. We have a whole lot of sun in the tropics yet we are suffering from energy poverty. But fortunately, our organisation is tapping into the sun to get solar energy and to end the energy poverty in Nigeria.”
Yves Nicolet, consul general of Switzerland, who was on an official visit to TellCo Europe Nigeria office, said: The technology TellCosol is from Switzerland and the head office of TellCo Europe is situated in Switzerland. As a consul general my duty is to support and follow the Swiss companies here. We have a lot of them here and in many sectors. We are trying to bring more and more investors into Nigeria; particularly in the Cleantech sector. This is so because the problem of energy is known in Nigeria, so if we can use solar energy in my country where we have less sun than in Africa; I think this technology is a future for this continent and particularly for Nigeria. The biggest challenge for Nigeria is to improve its energy, electricity, etc. I will see and follow the future of TellCoSol in Nigeria and we are always here to support you if you have any challenge”.
Victor Fodeke, managing director, TellCo Europe Nigeria, emphasised that Nigeria has come of age and must move from energy poverty status to begin to appropriate the abundance of energy that nature has endowed the country with by virtue of the amount of sunlight in this part of the world.
He said that the company came to Nigeria at a very right time when many citizens had begun to crave for a better alternative like the type being provided by the new firm.
Presenting the TellCo Europe Nigeria’s position on the celebration of the World Environment Day, Olawale Akinwunmi, executive vice chairman and CEO, said:“Our overall five cardinal goals and objectives as our corporate contributions towards global energy security are as follows; to create new continental economic opportunities for growth and development through powering the MSMEs with efficient clean energy; increase access for affordable and sustainable energy; reduce carbon emissions and champion low carbon development through clean efficient energy systems; support nationally determined contributions (NDCs), and end energy poverty in Africa for sustainable continental and equitable development.”
Present at the event were Ayo Oni and Ayo Opadokun, both directors of TellCo Europe Nigeria.
Zebulon Agomuo
