A German electrical engineering expert, Professor Ralf-Dieter Rogler, has urged the Federal Government to invest heavily in electricity infrastructure, maintenance and specialised engineering education to address Nigeria’s power challenges and drive economic development
Rogler made the call while delivering a Distinguished Public Lecture titled, “Comparison Between the Nigerian and German Electrical Grid: Lessons and Challenges to the Nigerian University System,” at the Federal University Lokoja (FUL) permanent site in Felele
Rogler, Chair of Switchgear Technology at the Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Hochschule für Technik und Wirtschaft (HTW), Dresden, Germany, said Nigeria’s power sector was constrained by inadequate generation capacity, insufficient transmission infrastructure and poor maintenance
He noted that Nigeria, with about 243 million people, has an installed generation capacity of about 64 gigawatts, which he said was insufficient to meet the country’s needs and support economic growth.
Comparing the two countries, Rogler said Nigeria, despite being roughly three times the size of Germany, has only about 3,000 kilometres of high-voltage overhead transmission lines, compared with Germany’s extensive interconnected grid
He said an average German household experiences about eight minutes of electricity interruption annually, while a Nigerian household suffers about 2,800 minutes of outages yearly
“The major problem in the country is not only blackout, but inadequate electricity supply, which often results in load sharing, whereby some communities are disconnected to enable providers to supply others,” he said
Rogler stressed that Nigeria requires “fundamental investments” in electricity generation, transmission and distribution, as well as equipment maintenance
He also said Germany was gradually replacing conventional energy sources with renewables, particularly wind and solar, but noted that their intermittent nature makes energy storage and modern transmission networks essential
The professor said Nigerian universities have a critical role to play in producing skilled electrical engineers and developing specialised programmes in switchgear technology, power electronics and computing
“Germany has about 22 million engineers against Nigeria’s 80,000. Nigeria needs to significantly strengthen engineering education to produce the expertise required to transform its power sector,” he said.
Rogler expressed optimism about Nigeria’s future, citing its youthful population as an advantage and urging young people and universities to embrace education, innovation and engineering
“Education and electricity remain basic tools for economic development,” he said
Earlier, FUL Vice-Chancellor, Professor Gbenga Solomon Ibileye, said the university was ready to collaborate with German institutions on power systems, renewable energy and engineering education
He said partnerships with HTW Dresden could include joint research, staff and student exchanges, and practical training to position FUL as a hub for renewable energy innovation