Tolulope Longe, National President, Women in Energy, Oil and Gas – Nigeria, has declared that Nigeria cannot build a $1-trillion economy on a $4-per-day energy supply.
She made this declaration in her opening remarks during the 2025 Bullion Lecture held in Lagos last week themed “Architecting the Energy Sector for Nigeria’s $1-Trillion Economy Vision” organised by Centre for Financial Journalism.
Longe said the vision “isn’t just a lofty ambition. It’s a national imperative. And the energy sector — in all its complexity and promise — sits at the very heart of that vision.”
Longe declared that “Nigeria cannot build a $1-trillion economy on a $4-per-day energy supply. We cannot industrialize epileptic power, nor can we digitize on diesel generators.
“And we certainly cannot compete globally with infrastructure gaps, policy disconnects, and under-leveraged capital in our energy ecosystem.”
Longe, however, said that “Nigeria has the potential to move “from barrels to brains,” from gas flaring to gas monetization, from extractive dependency to energy-led development.
“So, the real question before us today is this: How do we design an energy architecture that delivers prosperity, inclusivity, and sustainability — at scale and at speed?
Tolulope Longe recommends the following strategic steps:
- Radical Energy Infrastructure Modernization We need to aggressively decentralize energy. Mini-grids, embedded generation, and renewable hybrids must be mainstreamed to reach unserved and underserved communities. The grid of the future must be smart, scalable, and sovereign — not colonial relics patched with promises.
- Unleashing Nigeria’s Gas Renaissance: Let gas work for Nigeria. From powering industries to fueling transport and creating clean cooking markets, Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) and Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) must be repositioned not just as transition fuels, but as economic multipliers. This is Nigeria’s decade of gas— but only if we move from slogans to pipelines.
- Policy Clarity + Investor Confidence = Capital Inflow: We must harmonize policies, fast-track regulatory reform, and de-risk investments. It’s time to give investors what they crave: clarity, consistency, and commitment. Bureaucracy cannot be the bottleneck to billion-dollar deals.
- Women and Youth: The New Energy Force: We must stop seeing women and youth as beneficiaries. They are co-architects of this new energy future — whether as clean energy entrepreneurs, engineers, or innovators. We must democratize access to opportunity.
- Just Transition, Nigerian Edition: We must design a “Just Energy Transition” that reflects Nigerian realities — not foreign prescriptions. That means no one is left behind, especially host communities, artisans, and small businesses whose livelihoods depend on accessible, affordable energy.
Longe said this year’s Bullion Lecture “must move beyond inspiration. It must inspire implementation.
“Let us make this the day we catalyze:
- An “Energy Marshall Plan” for Nigeria.
- A Gas-to-Wealth Blueprint.
- The Greening of Nigeria’s Grid.
- The Rise of the Decentralized Energy Economy.
This, according to Longe, may enable the media to create a new narrative such as:
“From Powerless to Powerful: Nigeria Charts a $1-Trillion Energy Blueprint.”
Or
“Bullion Lecture Sparks National Consensus on Energy-Led Growth.”
“Let us remember that we are not just consumers of energy — we are custodians of a generational opportunity.
“What we build — or fail to build — today, will define Nigeria’s place in the global economic order tomorrow.
“I urge each of us to engage boldly, challenge assumptions, and co-create solutions. The future is not something we inherit — it’s something we architect.”
- Alex Ekemenah