Evaluating the Impact of Media Representation on Nigeria’s Energy Transition From Oil to Solar for Sustainable Development

Abstract

Nigeria's energy landscape presents a critical paradox: the country possesses Africa's largest hydrocarbon reserves yet endures one of the continent's most severe electricity crises. As the global community accelerates renewable energy transitions to address climate change, Nigeria's transition from oil dependency to solar energy adoption remains constrained by infrastructural, policy, and communicative barriers. This mixed-methods study, conducted in Lagos, Abuja, and Port Harcourt Nigeria's primary commercial, governance, and extractive industry centres evaluates media representation's impact on energy transition outcomes. Survey data from 385 urban Nigerians revealed that oil and gas sector narratives dominated media coverage (68.4% of energy stories) compared with solar energy (11.3%). Qualitative analysis of 20 media practitioners and energy professionals identified structural barriers to equitable energy coverage, including advertiser dependencies and limited environmental journalism capacity. Regression analysis demonstrated that solar media exposure significantly predicted adoption intent (β = 0.41, p < 0.001), whilst oil-dominant narratives suppressed solar energy consideration (β = -0.18, p = 0.003). The Nigeria Energy Transition Plan received minimal public recognition (mean awareness = 2.48/5.0), indicating ineffective policy communication. This study concludes that strategic media communication reform constitutes an essential prerequisite for accelerating Nigeria's renewable energy transition and achieving Sustainable Development Goals 7 and 13. Recommendations include establishing a National Energy Communication Policy, integrating renewable energy communication into journalism curricula, and strengthening digital platforms for grassroots solar advocacy.