Rising from the 4th Nuclear Security Summit held in Washington DC, President Barrack Obama of the United States of America (USA), amongst other declarations, disclosed that he will “lead other world figures to Nigeria in April to seal the nuclear deal.” He said, “Nigeria deserves her nuclear energy space.”
From the foregoing, it is very glaring that President Muhammadu Buhari has succeeded in drawing the world’s attention to his administration’s plan to generate nuclear energy.
Of late, the issue has generated intense debate, especially in Akwa Ibom and Kogi States where the Nigerian Atomic Energy Commission (NAEC) had in mid 2015 earmarked as proposed sites for nuclear plants.
A great percentage of the citizenry were (and are still) reasoning that while the benefits of developing nuclear energy cannot be overlooked, the risks occasioned by nuclear plants are always devastating. They argue[d] that Nigeria is not yet ready to embark on such delicate project taking into cognizance the gory security situation in the country. Safety is always alien to Nigeria. Countries like Germany, Italy, Japan, France and others having experienced nuclear-power induced mishaps and having considered the possibilities of further occurrences have shut down some of their plants.
In Nigeria, we have battled in vain to curb incidences of pipeline vandalism, insurgency and wanton acts of carelessness by those who should safeguard the masses. The memories of the explosion of “high caliber bombs” stored by the Army at the Ikeja Military Cantonment are still fresh in our memories. The multiple blasts sent thousands of Nigerians to their early graves. Properties worth millions of Naira were also destroyed.
My checks reveal that Uranium used in nuclear plants has a half-life of over hundred years which makes it glaring that any carelessness or act of sabotage can be catastrophic. Given how insecure the country is, what will be fate of Nigerians if the gets into wrong hands? Uranium also emits very potent radiation.
It must be stated here that the nuclear bomb that U.S. forces dropped on the Japanese city of Hiroshima during the Second World War totally destroyed a two-mile radius of the city, killing an estimated 80,000 people. Now, read this: The blast was caused by LESS THAN TWO PERCENT OF THE URANIUM CARRIED BY THE BOMB. Nigeria does not deserve its own version of Hiroshima. Maybe Nigeria’s version would be called Buharishima. God forbid!
It could be recalled that in 2015 when NAEC made public their decision to site a plant in Itu Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State, the Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly, then led by Elder Aniekan Uko, kicked against the plan.
In a motion sponsored by Hon. Nse Essien of Onna State Constituency, it was “noted that though Akwa Ibom State government and its people are in full support of the federal government’s efforts aimed at boosting power generation to ensure the socio-cultural and economic development of the entire country, however expressed serious fears of the threats and danger the State would be exposed to.”
After intense deliberations, “the House moved a motion calling on the NAEC and the federal government to reconsider its desire to build the plant in Akwa Ibom with a dense population per square kilometer. The House also called on Governor Udom Emmanuel to protest vigorously to the National Atomic Energy Commission and the federal government against the proposed nuclear plant.”
Thirdly, “The House called on the federal government to explore other available and harmless means of power in the state including increasing the capacity of the Ibom Power Plant.”
It wouldn’t have mattered much if America has always been at peace with some countries that develop nuclear energy. For instance, it is on record that USA has condemned Iran accusing the nation of using nuclear energy to develop very dangerous missile technology, a claim vehemently denied by the country and its allies.
Interestingly, Iran and Russia boycotted the recently concluded summit. Now that Obama has okayed the nuclear technology idea in Nigeria, does it not amount to him invariably licking his vomit?
Dear readers, the bottom-line is that the federal government has revived the nuclear energy idea. The raging questions this has thrown up are: How safe are the citizens?
Why has the federal government not deemed it fit to consider using renewable energy sources?
And will the federal government stubbornly go ahead with the decision to site a nuclear plant in Itu?
A stitch in time saves nine!
(Ofonime Honesty, a journalist and general affairs analyst, writes from Uyo, Akwa Ibom State. honestyofonime@yahoo. 08025286082)
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