NCF, SDL seal pact to promote renewable energy
Nigerian Conservation Foundation (NCF) and Skangix Development Limited (SDL), a pioneer in the Solar Energy Landscape, have signed a memorandum of understanding to promote renewable energy through creative thinking (essay) competition in secondary schools.
The maiden edition of the competition which holds simultaneously today at Refiners School, Sangotedo and Ebute Elefun High School in Lagos were drawn from 20 private and 20 public secondary schools equipped with active NCF conservation clubs within Lagos State Education District III.
Participating students in Junior secondary schools are expected to write a 300 to 500 words essay on ‘Sun Energy for the Future’ while the senior school category would write 500 to 700 words essay on, ‘Energy Crisis: Conventional Energy Versus Solar Energy’.
According to Adeniyi Karunwi, Director General of NCF, the essay competition would serve as a means of educating the public, especially the youth on the need to embrace renewable energy.
“One of NCF’s core mandates is environmental education, especially for children, and we believe that engaging them in an environmental essay competition is a veritable tool towards ensuring their understanding and knowledge of Nigeria’s biodiversity”, he said.
He noted that about 30 nations, globally including Denmark, Sweden and China, have renewable energy contributing to over 20 percent of their energy supplies.
Renewable energy, Karunwi said, enables humans to maintain their quality of life while avoiding and reducing the impact of climate change.
“Renewable energy is naturally replenished and it never runs out. The need to use renewable energy for electricity, transport or even total primary energy supply globally has been motivated by global warming, ecological and economic concerns.
‘‘NCF’s mission is to see a Nigeria where people prosper while living in harmony with nature and this also reflects in our need to advocate for actions that minimize the impact of pollution on the environment. Renewable energy is an alternative option to fossil fuel because renewable resources are available to meet the needs of the people if properly harnessed,” he said.
The DG revealed that SDL has invested N6 million into this edition, hoping that with more sponsors coming on board, more schools in other parts of the federation would be accommodated.
“This initiative underscores NCF and SDL’s commitment to the environment and also to Sustainable Development Goals while recognizing the role of children in the sustainability agenda,”, he said.
Sam Coker, Managing Director, Skangix, said the concept of introducing this scheme into secondary stems from his visit to the states three years ago.
According to Coker, one of the things that the introduction of solar energy and renewable energy competition would do for children was to teach them discipline.
“During my visit, I found out that solar units were placed even in primary schools and children going there could learn everything about solar energy. They become conscious of what solar energy is, the importance of that is the discipline that is required of us because using energy requires certain discipline.”
The competition will run from 14th February 14 to May 19 this year with the grand finale at NCF headquarters on May 25 and the overall winners will spend a week at a place of interest.