…kick starts sensitization in Abuja
By Emman Ovuakporie
The Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation, Dr Ogbonnaya Onu has espoused how methanol fuel can rapidly help to rapidly transform the Nigerian economy.
TheNewsGuru.com, (TNG) reports that to this effect the minister Kick started a program to sensitize the public on the benefits of adopting methanol fuel for the over all development of Nigeria.
Onu formally kick-started the sensitization exercise in Abuja on Tuesday.
He noted that for so long the country mostly relied on commodities which initially was agricultural products and later crude oil and now natural gas which the country never added value to thereby limiting sources of revenue for the country and adversely affecting job creation.
Onu said the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation is set to add value to the natural resources by the use of Technology like other developed countries of the world who are gradually reducing their reliance on crude oil with greater emphasis placed on cleaner renewable sources of energy.
He said electronic cars have been introduced in many countries of the world in line with the initiative and fulfilment of the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC) of countries of which Nigeria is a part under the 2015 climate change Paris agreement which impact today is a reduction in global demand for crude oil.
The minister explained that the ministry is set to utilize Science and Technology and Innovation as a catalyst to achieve sustainable economic development stating that a Methanol driven economy is beneficial in the following areas, job creation, technology development and domestication, electricity generation, clean household energy services, chemical industry value chain and reduction of pulmonary diseases among women and children amongst others.
He said “today our mothers, sisters, wives, daughters and others who cook use wood, charcoal and kerosene to a large extent and these pose a serious threat to their health, forest and vegetation leading to deforestation which is not good for the health and wellbeing of the people.
Onu emphasized that methanol being a cheaper and cleaner fuel will help solve these problems as he called for partnership between the ministry and entrepreneurs and investors in the private sector to invest in methanol production.
On his part the director of environmental services in the ministry, Mr. Peter Ekwezor says the policy will create an enabling environment for more investment in the oil and gas sector particularly in the downstream sub-sector .
He said it is expected that more industries will be established to convert the gas flared on daily basis in the process of crude oil exploration into useful purposes.