[size=14pt]J[b]onathan revives nuclear commission[/b] [/size]
By Felix Onuah
September 15, 2011 04:02PM

President Goodluck Jonathan revived the country's Atomic Energy Commission on Thursday, urging members to push ahead with plans to develop nuclear power in Africa's most populous nation.

Nigeria has the world's seventh-largest natural gas reserves, yet is blighted by persistent electricity outages which force businesses and individuals who can afford them to rely on diesel generators.

"We all know the importance of atomic energy. We have plans to generate power from atomic energy and we must pursue it seriously," Jonathan said at the inauguration ceremony at the presidential villa in the capital.

"We expect you to come up with time-lines for the delivery of atomic energy to our people and we will give you the resources you need to work."

Nuclear power has faced increased opposition in some nations since an earthquake and tsunami damaged Japan's Fukushima nuclear facility in March. Germany, Europe's largest economy, has since announced it will exit atomic power and authorities worldwide have kicked off safety checks on nuclear power plants.

The Nigeria Atomic Energy Commission was established in 1976 to investigate the development of nuclear energy but little progress was made. It was reactivated in 2006 and Jonathan appointed a new team this year.

Critics question why Nigeria needs to spend money on speculative future nuclear projects when vast gas reserves sit untouched under the ground or are flared into the sky.

Despite being Africa's biggest crude oil exporter, decades of corruption and mismanagement mean Nigeria has never built the infrastructure to farm its huge oil and gas resources for much-needed domestic use.

Power shortages are a major brake on growth in sub-Saharan Africa's second-biggest economy, pushing up the cost of business for manufacturers and making Nigeria uncompetitive as an investment destination for industry, despite a population which makes it one of the world's largest untapped frontier markets.

South Africa, with a third of Nigeria's population, has 10 times the generation capacity.

Power shortages also perpetuate social inequality in a country where most of the population survive on $2 a day or less, depriving many of light at night or the ability to power water pumps, let alone recharge mobile phones or access the Internet.

REUTERS


http://234next.com/csp/cms/sites/Next/Home/5742102-146/jonathan_revives_nuclear_commission.csp

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god forbid!!

never!!!

Good job, but can a negro nation like Nigeria maintain it?

in as much as i'm impressed by GEJ in his pursuit for increased power generation,i think its best to seek safer ways to generate electricity.but come to think of it,we have untapped natural gas, Uncle Jona,a nuclear plant in nigeria is a disaster waiting to happen,besides the IAEA would neva approve it

I hope this is backed by a robust risk assessment ? I am of the opinion we should explore other options. Even Japan is exploring other options for energy generation. The cost implication too needs to be considered.

This man is Madder and more Stupid than i thought he was! . A Nation that cannot even maintain roads,hospitals and schools wants to embark on a nuclear project? Tufia Kwa!!
So many lives are lost daily due to the hazardous state of our roads,Our schools are turning out half-baked graduates and area boys,Hospitals are killing patients on a per minute basis and this Cretin is taking about Atomic energy? Did he see what Japan had to do to keep the Nuclear disaster under control? We don't have the basic fundamental necessities and he wants to embark on such a highly advanced and complex process.! Nigeria is the only country in the world where there is no Roadmap or plan. One maga go just wakeup float idea wey him wan use chop money. Handle the Security situation in the country,Stabilize the economy and make life worthwhile for Nigerians,Give our people access to affordable quality education and make sure all these criminals in our society are thoroughly punished for their crimes. Then we will know you are not as incompetent and daft as we think you are sir!!

Er, Mr President, ever heard of Chernobyl?

he is not jokin with power generation

Any way or idea to generate more power is welcome.
But if we cannot even manage hydro electrical generating machines, what will we be doing with an atomic bomb plant?

help, my presdent is mad again.

Rgp92:

Good job, but can a negro nation like Nigeria maintain it?

God punish that ya 'ewu' mouth.

Nice Job Jona, please lets consult Atom Ant 

hmmmmm

Double N:

This man is Madder and more silly than i thought he was! . A Nation that cannot even maintain roads,hospitals and schools wants to embark on a nuclear project? Tufia Kwa!!
So many lives are lost daily due to the hazardous state of our roads,Our schools are turning out half-baked graduates and area boys,Hospitals are killing patients on a per minute basis and this Cretin is taking about Atomic energy? Did he see what Japan had to do to keep the Nuclear disaster under control? We don't have the basic fundamental necessities and he wants to embark on such a highly advanced and complex process.! Nigeria is the only country in the world where there is no Roadmap or plan. One maga go just wakeup float idea wey him wan use chop money. Handle the Security situation in the country,Stabilize the economy and make life worthwhile for Nigerians,Give our people access to affordable quality education and make sure all these criminals in our society are thoroughly punished for their crimes. Then we will know you are not as incompetent and daft as we think you are sir!!

I don`t really like exchanging words with people like you. For God`s sake, why should you call your president `silly` and ``mad` ? Please, the man deserves a lot of respect.

Nuclear plant in Nigeria yes!!!!! for all those narrow minded people who dont wish Nigeria well, i think is high time you stop looking down on your nation. FYI, Ghana has a plan to go Nuclear underway. Later these same guys will be the same to say Ghana celebrated 10yrs uninterupted power. For me i say, if not now then when? you scared of Chernobyl? have you considered that more people have died in plane crashes than all the three nuclear accidents put together? has anyone come out to ban use of aircrafts. Guys the time is now face it.

You say the tech is so advance? i say no its been around for over 60yrs.

You say countries are backing out? i say no Germany is using that to play on pples emotion on Fukushima to win cheap votes. Give them five years and they will regret what decision they took.

You say the President is mad? well its such mad decisions that placed the US flag on the moon.

You say the IAEA wont support? well they are already incharge of manpower training.

People keep refering to Fukuashima, incase you didnt do geography Nigeria is not earthquake prone, so forget Tsunami, give another excuse.

WillyWest:

Nuclear plant in Nigeria yes!!!!! for all those narrow minded people who dont wish Nigeria well, i think is high time you stop looking down on your nation. FYI, Ghana has a plan to go Nuclear underway. Later these same guys will be the same to say Ghana celebrated 10yrs uninterupted power. For me i say, if not now then when? you scared of Chernobyl? have you considered that more people have died in plane crashes than all the three nuclear accidents put together? has anyone come out to ban use of aircrafts. Guys the time is now face it.

You say the tech is so advance? i say no its been around for over 60yrs.

You say countries are backing out? i say no Germany is using that to play on pples emotion on Fukushima to win cheap votes. Give them five years and they will regret what decision they took.

You say the President is mad? well its such mad decisions that placed the US flag on the moon.

You say the IAEA wont support? well they are already incharge of manpower training.

People keep refering to Fukuashima, incase you didnt do geography Nigeria is not earthquake prone, so forget Tsunami, give another excuse.

Seconded,

WillyWest:

Nuclear plant in Nigeria yes!!!!! for all those narrow minded people who dont wish Nigeria well, i think is high time you stop looking down on your nation. FYI, Ghana has a plan to go Nuclear underway. Later these same guys will be the same to say Ghana celebrated 10yrs uninterupted power. For me i say, if not now then when? you scared of Chernobyl? have you considered that more people have died in plane crashes than all the three nuclear accidents put together? has anyone come out to ban use of aircrafts. Guys the time is now face it.

You say the tech is so advance? i say no its been around for over 60yrs.

You say countries are backing out? i say no Germany is using that to play on pples emotion on Fukushima to win cheap votes. Give them five years and they will regret what decision they took.

You say the President is mad? well its such mad decisions that placed the US flag on the moon.

You say the IAEA wont support? well they are already incharge of manpower training.

People keep refering to Fukuashima, incase you didnt do geography Nigeria is not earthquake prone, so forget Tsunami, give another excuse.

I can infer that you are not living in Nigeria

The President is Mad no doubt

We have no culture of maintenance in Nigeria;

naija lack maintainance culture,but for the earthquake,we are not in earthquake zone.

Please Jonathan - I just typed, edited and proofed a book that will hit the stores in a few months, "Unending Crisis"  in the U.S. for a National figure who has advised the last 4 Presidents of the U.S. on Nuclear Power and on Nuclear Proliferation Agreements - just finished it Friday.  A known authority figure, an Ambassador to the Presidents on Nuclear situations worldwide.

Listen to these writers below:

SHABZ:

in as much as i'm impressed by GEJ in his pursuit for increased power generation,i think its best t[b]o seek safer ways to generate electricity.but come to think of it,we have untapped natural gas,  Uncle Jona,a nuclear plant in nigeria is a disaster waiting to happen[/b],besides the IAEA would neva approve it

Double N:

This man is Madder and more silly than i thought he was! . [b]A Nation that cannot even maintain roads,hospitals and schools wants to embark on a nuclear project? [/b]Tufia Kwa!!
So many lives are lost daily due to the hazardous state of our roads,Our schools are turning out half-baked graduates and area boys,Hospitals are killing patients on a per minute basis and this Cretin is taking about Atomic energy? Did he see what Japan had to do to keep the Nuclear disaster under control? We don't have the basic fundamental necessities and he wants to embark on such a highly advanced and complex process.! Nigeria is the only country in the world where there is no Roadmap or plan. One maga go just wakeup float idea wey him wan use chop money. [b]Handle the Security situation in the country,Stabilize the economy and make life worthwhile for Nigerians,Give our people access to affordable quality education and make sure all these criminals in our society are thoroughly punished for their crimes.[/b]Then we will know you are not as incompetent and daft as we think you are sir!!

I don't begrudge Nigeria on any level - I hope Nigeria succeeds in all of its endeavors but in 2011 - I would have to say that I agree COMPLETELY with the above writers - minus the name calling - If you are listening President Goodluck - I avert your attention to these writers.  Invest the money you are going to send towards a nuclear program (if not managed right can erupt into a disaster - and then you will have to send in senior experts in "nuclear control" to make attempts to get it under control - if it is controllable and if it doesn't kill millions of innocent Nigerian citizens in the process."  Do you want the country's funds to go towards staffing such a facility? 

Your wishes and dreams for your presidency will be realized - but B must follow A if you want true success.  Get the country to a similar level as Dubai as far as infrastructure then build products such as "Nuclear, NASA, etc"

Everyone of us must crawl before we walk regardless to where we live in this world.  Nigeria is great!!  Nigeria will evolve to a fantastic level if you focus on the basics and get those up and running on a consistent level FIRST.

Double N:

This man is Madder and more silly than i thought he was! . A Nation that cannot even maintain roads,hospitals and schools wants to embark on a nuclear project? Tufia Kwa!!
So many lives are lost daily due to the hazardous state of our roads,Our schools are turning out half-baked graduates and area boys,Hospitals are killing patients on a per minute basis and this Cretin is taking about Atomic energy? Did he see what Japan had to do to keep the Nuclear disaster under control? We don't have the basic fundamental necessities and he wants to embark on such a highly advanced and complex process.! Nigeria is the only country in the world where there is no Roadmap or plan. One maga go just wakeup float idea wey him wan use chop money. Handle the Security situation in the country,Stabilize the economy and make life worthwhile for Nigerians,Give our people access to affordable quality education and make sure all these criminals in our society are thoroughly punished for their crimes. Then we will know you are not as incompetent and daft as we think you are sir!!

it is you,your family,your villagers and your ancestors that are mad and silly.don't ever insult my president again.

^^^^

Yes, This is the President of the country - he should NOT be insulted - there are better ways to get your point across without using name calling especially directed at the Presidential Office.

We dont need it!

Nuclear power need maintenance, else see Japan now.

Nigerians are careless oooo

9ja matter don tire me, so te na laugh remain make i they laugh

President GEJ, kindly set your priorities right. We cant do them all. We are not even ripe for Nuclear Energy and the responsibilities that come with it.

What happend to Coal, Gas, Hydro. That in my opinion should be our focus.

God bless Nigeria

There are several factors to be considered for a nuclear power station. Yes, it produces enormous amount of energy, but it comes with a price;

1. it is expensive in maintenance and overall.
2. it require constant cooling - considering our environment, more cooling would be required
3. it requires high profile experts
4. its errors are fatal, no room for mistakes - death is not the fair but radioactive emissions that can cause unknown diseases (japanese wont know it now, lets wait for years to come).
5. it generates wastes that take years to completely disintegrate and lose its radioactive potency (even its waste is deadly)
6. How do we manage the waste and where do we dump it.
7. etc

please GEJ should consider other options as we have them in abundance or i pack my bag and leave sharp-sharp!!

The reason it went down was due to poor management , i hope it will not be the same problem that will get it down again.

This will be my last here;

Nigeria is a country rich with vast amount of crude oil and coal. But what do these two resources have in common?
Yes, you guessed it they are non-renewable, they pollute the environment, they cause global warming and the singular use of these have lead to the drastic climate changes being experienced world over. Am sure the recent flooding in Lagos and Ibadan readily comes to mind, BTW its on record as the highest singular rainfall in recent times. Most world government are advocating nations to reduce reliance on these sources, for the sake of posterity.

This is the reason we are now having the Asians inventing electric powered cars and the like. FYI a school of thought also has it that continual removal of resources from the ground creates vacuums underground which in turn creates fault lines and earthquakes, so with your continual exploration dont be suprised if (God forbid) quakes start happening in our beloved country.

Apart from all these the Nuclear industry will also lend its many applications to health, agriculture, research and development. Just to mention a few.

I do not blame many for the reservations they have for anything nuclear bearing in mind the first nuclear application was a bomb in Japan decades ago.
I maintain that its time for world government to break these oil cartels, the future is green and clean energy.

I humbly rest my case.

Why not revive the various steel and textile companies that have potentials of reducing the level of unemployment, odechukwu is the worst thing to have happened to this nation.

aquita:

I don`t really like exchanging words with people like you. For God`s sake, why should you call your president `silly` and ``mad` ? Please, the man deserves a lot of respect.

but surely our president has a capacity & right to be silly\mad na?

Nuclear power generation with its enormous drawbacks and risks, unfortunately, still remains the most feasible means to industrialise if we are serious about industrialisation. Gas power plants have their own drawbacks too like when gas supply ceases and are much more expensive to maintain. A 2 billion dollar Nuclear plant can generate abt 2500MW. The is almost wat is been generated all over the country now. If we can build 3 nuclear plants, we could surpass the 10,000MW quite easily. The greatest strength, nuclear power has is that, though it is expensive to set up, it is a system that cant be shutdown except in extreme emergency or unavailable until the fuel rods are due after two yrs. Hence if u want uninterruptible low cost power for over 20yrs, nuclear is the solution. However, the two major probs are disposal of spent fuel and the high operational risks involved. In a nutshell, the advantage greatly outweigh the risks.

we have more than enough capacity in oil, gas, coal, & water to generate enough electricity for nigeria, cameroun, benin, togo, & ghana, yet we cannot sustain lagos for 1 week uninterrupted. now we want to delve into nuclear?? abeg o, oga Jona, give me time to evacuate myself & family far away from nigeria b4 u blow everything to fine dust.

@POST

There is no doubt insanity has become common and mainstay in Nigerian society. Please GEJ invest the money for nuclear power generation into building first class laboratories in 12 universities in the country, at least, 2 from each so-called political zone. These university labs must be tasked to produce anything from toothpick to candle. We can manage with candles originating from Nigerian universities.