For millions of Nigerians looking
for jobs there is a ray of hope as the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation
(NNPC) is set to create one million jobs for them.
To this end the company has
signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Ondo State Government to
establish a 65,000 million litres bio-fuel plant in Okeluse, Ondo State.
Group Managing Director (GMD) of
the NNPC, Dr Maikanti Baru, revealed this when he received the Ondo State
Governor, Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, on a courtesy visit.
Mr Ndu Ughamadu, the
corporation’s Group General Manager, Public Affairs Division, in a statement
said Baru explained to the governor that the plant and other projects such as
cassava feed stock production would create at least one million direct and
indirect jobs.
According to him, the project
would be partly funded by some investors bringing in Foreign Direct Investment
into the country.
Baru reeled out other benefits of
the project to include reduction of fuel import and greenhouse gas emission,
and boosting the production of animal feeds from by-products of the plant.
The GMD also allayed fears of any
possible negative impact of the plant on the supply of cassava-based foods for
human consumption.
He explained that the cassava to
be used for the bio-fuel project was a special breed that would not interfere
with the activities of farmers cultivating other breeds of cassava or crops.
”We have already discussed with
you and you have agreed to make 15,000 hectares of land available towards the
cultivation of this cassava.
”It will, of course, in the
process invite people who are used to farming cassava as well as new
entrepreneurs who want to go into that business to participate in the
cultivation of the cassava that we are going to use for the production of the
fuel ethanol.
”We expect that this plant, when
built, will be producing at least 65 million litres per annum of ethanol that
could be blended into our Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) and will be used in
Nigeria and neighbouring countries when exported,” Baru said.
He disclosed that the bio-fuel
project would be fitted with a 40 megawatts electricity plant that would also
supply power to the host communities.
The GMD said NNPC intended to
commercialize the greenhouse gas emission reduction capability of the project
to win carbon credit for the nation from the international community.
He added that it would also make
money from such by-product as industrial starch and others which would be
converted to animal feeds to boost food production in the country.
”The benefits of this project to
Nigeria and specifically to Ondo State are immense and NNPC is very eager to
see it implemented.
”We are working with the
investors who will invest because there are several dimensions to the project,”
he said.
Earlier, Gov. Akeredolu, assured
that the state had enough farmers as well as cassava to sustain the bio-fuel
plant, stressing that his visit was to show his commitment to the project.
Present at the signing of the MoU
were officials of Nigeria Export-Import Bank, New Partnership for African
Development and National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency.
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