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A total number of 23 Solar Photovoltaic Installation (SPVI) graduates certified by the Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN) have been produced by Asteven Energy Institute to champion renewable energy drive in the country.
Dr. Sunny Akpoyibo, Chairman, Governing Council of the institute, while speaking during the graduation ceremony on Tuesday, March 4, 2025, noted that it is very exciting to see young Nigerians who have decided to sharpen their skills by enrolling for the six-weeks training and coming out with a specialised certificate from COREN as solar technicians.
Dr. Akpoyibo, who said he is convinced that the young graduates from the institute would bridge the gap within the renewable energy sector in Nigeria, added: “The skills being developed by Asteven Energy Institute gives us the opportunity to partner with various institutions, Federal and State Governments because there is a huge capacity gap. So, we want to bridge the gap so we can increase job opportunities for the young people and also create an opportunity to scale our energy inefficiency from fossil fuel to green energy.
“We have organisations such as Renewable Energy and Energy Alliance (REEA), Council for Renewable Energy and National Board for Technical Education (NABTE) with us here working on policy and regulation so that the skill development will be mandatory for every installation just like COREN Certification in Civil Engineering, things like that, so in solar installation, that is the step we are taking,” stressed Dr. Akpoyibo.
In his remark, Dr. Magnus Onuoha, Rector, Asteven Energy Institute, stated that what the institute stands for training students on carbon which is focusing on emission reduction processes.
“What we going to help our host community, especially the Ogun State Government having already done the Energy Audit by taking them in the carbon market to earn carbon credit.
“You can see that most of our graduates here are young CEOs who earn sustainable profits in the sense while they are earning profits, they are engaging people by employing young men and women and also protecting the integrity of the environnent,” Dr. Onuoha maintained.
On his part, Mr. Ola Oresanya, Commissioner for the Environment in Ogun State, stated that an institute filling the gap in capacity building such as Asteven Energy Institute needs the collaboration with the state government because government as an enabler should be able to give policies.
According to Oresanya, “Human capacity has been the bane of development in Nigeria especially in technical and vocational training.
As at today, we lack the capacity as everybody run to the university to get certificates and at the end of the day, they are not employable.
“So, an institution such as this needs the support of government because they are providing training towards solving a major problem which is developing skill in renewable energy.
“Renewable energy is a major issue that will assist the Federal, State and the private sector in the migration from fossil fuel into clean energy, apart from that, it will assist the nation to leapfrog into compliance with Article 6 of Paris Agreement where we have the unconditional 20% diversion of carbon and the conditional 47% which we have the support of the global community.
“In achieving our unconditional role, we need capacity development, the technical capacity and also the business capacity, so they are filling the gap with technical capacity to make sure that industries are able to migrate into renewable energy programme and government can also be able to train a quantum number of youths not just for Nigeria needs but also Africa energy evolution,” he stressed.
Speaking on behalf of National Board for Technical Education (NABTE), Mr. Ayoola Adeshina advised Nigerian youths to focus on sharpening their skills in ensuring that they are independent and make a living out of their skills.
He said: “Renewable energy is another opportunity just created in Nigeria, we have not gone deep into it but just scratching it on the surface and in a few years from now, those going into solar energy technology will be a hot cake in the market.”
Dignitaries that graced the occasion include Sam Nwosu representing Renewable Energy and Energy Alliance (REEA), Council for Renewable Energy, Chief Kasumu Jamiu Shonola, Baale of Aseese Community, among others.
By Ajibola Adedoye
