Nuclear Energy: World Stays Alert on Nigeria

The world has again cast its attention on Nigeria and this time with keen interest following reports that she has activated a nuclear electricity programme to underpin her now notoriously unreliable public power supply, Nigeria CommunicationsWeek can now reveal.
Nuclear power is any nuclear technology designed to extract usable energy from atomic nuclei via controlled nuclear reactions. In 2008, some 16 per cent of the world's electricity came from nuclear power.
Nuclear power offers a clean and efficient source of electrical energy but nuclear proliferation is stoutly opposed by many nations with and without nuclear weapons, the governments of which fear that more countries with nuclear weapons may increase the possibility of nuclear warfare, de-stabilize international or regional relations, or infringe upon the national sovereignty of states.
Tracy C. Brown, liaison/public information officer, International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), New York told Nigeria CommunicationsWeek that though “the decision of a state to use nuclear power as an energy option is a sovereign decision; however, there are many important factors to consider.”
Brown was responding to our inquiries on Nigeria’s energy programme.
IAEA said that a decision to implement a nuclear power programme requires long term commitments throughout the period of planning, operation, decommissioning and waste management.
For a state (country) with little developed technical base, the implementation of the first nuclear power plant (NPP) would on average, take about 15 years. For a state with a strong technical base, this could be reduced to 10 years if the state initiates a significant and concerted effort to achieve implementation in a rapid manner. Even for states with existing nuclear power programmes, it may take about 10 years to approve and construct a new NPP.
Nigeria CommunicationsWeek however gathered that Nigeria has little on ground to support its claim of nuclear energy programme apart from Mr. President’s declaration for the country to generate electricity from nuclear power plants, a project which will involve the transportation of nuclear fuel into and within the country by water, rail and road.
Nigeria Atomic Energy Commission (NAEC) has however, taken a very important step to guarantee the success and sustainability of the country’s nuclear power programme with the training of scientists and engineers.
Dr. Erepamo Osaisai, director-general/CEO of the Commission told a group at Bells University of Technology, Ota, Ogun State last week that "strengthening of the existing corps of nuclear scientists and engineers by motivating, retraining and creating an effective mechanism for training and mentoring a new generation of core professionals in the sector is paramount."
Nigeria’s public power supply has been something of a national embarrassment following years of mismanagement and neglect, prompting the present administration headed by President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua to consider several options to shore electricity supply.
Experts say that improved public power supply will lessen costs and fire the kilns of the productive sector.