A significant proportion of the Nigerian population is living in
rural communities, located quite far off the nearest connection to
the national grid. These rural communities have no proven
deposits of natural gas, crude oil or large rivers, but are, however,
blessed with abundant renewable energy (RE) resources. Apart
from large hydro and conventional biomass, RE resources in
Nigeria are presently not given any consideration in the country's
energy supply mix and are even marginalized in future energy
plans. Notwithstanding the fact that, Nigeria is generally blessed
with ample conventional and renewable energy resources, the
demand is significantly higher than the energy generated. Because
of the abstruse inefficiencies associated with electric energy
provision in Nigeria, it is increasingly harder for rural Nigerians
to have access to the electricity service. This paper is advocating
the use of renewable energy resources for closing the gap between
energy demand and supply in Nigeria as well as improving the
wellness of rural Nigerian communities. The potential of various
RE sources, including large and small hydropower (SHP) systems,
solar energy, wind energy, and biomass energy, were elaborated.
National government policies formulated for the development of
RE sources were outlined. Many of the Government of Nigeria
(GoN) energy initiatives are merely green paper policies that lack
the resolve to be taken into the implementation realm. Whereas it
may be difficult to navigate the intricacies of Nigeria's energy
governance tumult, a fine line of argument is straddled throughout
this paper. By avowing that existing government policies are de
rigueur, some new measures, that can meld well with these
policies to reinvigorate them, were proposed. The adoption of RE
technologies will unambivalently lead to a better allocation of
energy resources among the population, which would in turn
alleviate the misfortunes of the rural communities currently
groaning under acute shortage of electricity. It will eventually
ameliorate the energy outlook of Africa's most populous nation