The Minister of Science and Technology, Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu, has decried the continuous importation of 95 per cent of the ethanol requirement in Nigeria for energy, transport and other uses despite available raw materials.
Dr. Onu said this after declaring open a national annual forum on biofuel development in Abuja yesterday. At the event organised by the Energy Commission of Nigeria (ECN), the minister charged the private sector, ECN, the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and other agencies to raise production capacity and awareness on the potential of ethanol as biofuel fuel and renewable energy.
He said: “We can’t keep importing the things that we need in the country because we have the raw materials. The survey is showing that only five per cent of our requirement of ethanol is being produced in the country. For fuel, it is important because it is cheaper and gives you lower emission.”
He further said ethanol was made from mostly cassava and maize and had proven in Brazil and other countries to be alternative to diesel and petrol.
The Director General of ECN, Prof. Eli Jidere Bala, said the Federal Executive Council (FEC) approved the Nigerian Biofuel Policy and Incentives in 2007, adding that ECN had reviewed the policy after 10 years.
Prof. Bala noted that adopting biofuel sources, including ethanol, would help in energy diversification, create jobs, and tackle climate issues, as he charged the private sector on more investments.
