- The management of the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) has indicated interest to collaborate with Osun State government on renewable energy development.
This was contained in a press statement endorsed by the media adviser to Governor Rauf Aregbesola, Mr Sola Fasure, which was forwarded to the Nigerian Tribune in Osogbo, Osun State capital, on Thursday.
The management of NNPC, led by the General Manager, Joint Venture of Renewable Energy Division, Mrs Clara Eminike made the disclosure at a meeting with Aregbesola, which was held at Oke-Fia Government House, Osogbo.
According to the press statement, “NNPC said the partnership was necessary to efficiently and productively explore the agricultural potentials of the state in order to drive the corporation’s diversification dream from oil and gas to renewable energy development in Nigeria.
It reads, “NNPC was ready to collaborate with the state government on the mass production of cassava for the industrial purpose of bio-fuel programme of the corporation. Eminike said the partnership is also aimed at linking the energy sector with the agriculture sector through the commercial production of bio-fuel from selected energy crops like cassava, sugar cane and oil palm”.
According to her, “the bio-fuel programme was initiated by the management of NNPC in line with our policy of developing alternative sources of energy. Basically, the programme is aimed at linking the energy sector with the agriculture sector through the commercial production of bio-fuel from selected energy crops and the energy crops that we are presently looking at are cassava, sugar-cane and oil palm”.
“And usually when we go into any location, we use the cash crops that we know that are predominant in that area; that is why we are looking at cassava for this state. We are about to look at other cash crops and some other things like sugar-cane and oil palm and basically what we want to do for this programme is to be able to create wealth, diversifying energy source and also create jobs”.
“We know that oil and gas is not renewable and internationally a lot of people are diversifying from oil and gas into other sources of energy and it might interest you that the NNPC is not left out as we have diversified from being an oil and gas company to be an energy company and that is how this comes into play too”.
“We have found out that Osun state is suitable for cassava production due to the agro-climatic condition. Basically, the project will involve the development of 15,000 hectares of cassava plantation while other by-products will include animal feeds, yeast and carbondioxide” Eminike posited.
In his remarks, Osun State governor, Mr Rauf Aregbesola lauded the management of the NNPC for displaying a high sense of dexterity towards the diversification of the nation’s economy, just as she described the partnership as a catalyst to attract investors, create wealth and generate employment opportunities for the citizenry.