THERE are indications that Nigeria may focus its resources and energy on the development of its abundant reserves of fossil fuel, bringing its multi-billion dollars alternative fuels initiative under threat, following a United Nation’s report warning on the dangers of the development.

A United Nation’s report warned that bio-fuels also known as alternative energy may cause serious environmental and social damage instead of saving the planet.

Responding to speeches at a reception in his honour in London last week, Dr Edmund Daukoru, Nigeria ’s Energy Minister noted that although the country has embarked on an alternative fuels initiative, it could leverage on the production of fossil fuels from available huge reserves.

He served notice that world energy demands is set to grow by over 30 per cent in the next 20 years, adding that available statistics also indicates that prices would remain attractive in the foreseeable future.

The UN report indicates that since the supposedly friendly eco-product would be grown on millions of hectres of farmland, it would devour the world’s dwindling water supply levels.

Although the report concedes that bio-fuel represents an extra-ordinary opportunity to reduce greenhouse gases, it warns: “rapid growth in liquid bio-fuel production will make substantial demands on the world’s land and water resources at a time when demand for both food and forest product is also rising rapidly.”

A report in the London Metro which quoted the UN report extensively pointed out it is feared that a rise in food prices could have irreversible consequences for society while the damage to soil and peat lands may offset all the gains made in reducing carbon emissions.

“Food security, bio-diversity and local community are all under threat,” Almuth Ernsting, of the pressure group: Biofuel Watch noted.

Also speaking, Ed Matthew, Friends of the Earth campaigner echoed the UN warning pointing out that the struggle to feed people was challenging enough.
“We are struggling to feed people and suddenly we want to start feeding our cars on crops. If this is done it could cause dramatic social and environmental problems,” he said.

While speaking at a recent lecture he delivered at the University of Agriculture , Makurdi in Benue state, Dr. Funsho Kupolokun, the Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) disclosed that the country could earn $150 million annually from production of alternative fuel.

However, investigations indicate that no effort has been made to determine the impact to the land and water resources as well as the likely impact on food prices.
Kupolokun had served notice that under the alternative fuels initiative, two types of automotive fuel are to be developed: ethanol and bio-diesel.

The NNPC helmsman disclosed that special research initiatives would be sponsored by the Corporation to boost cassava and Palm Oil output within the country and that the venture would lead to the setting up of several ethanol production plants at an average cost of $60m each.

This he explained would developed using agricultural potentials in cassava and sugar cane to produce ethanol which could serve as alternative to petrol, and the use of palm oil for bio-diesel which could serve as alternative to diesel.

In Nigeria , cassava and palm oil are an integral part of the daily menu in almost every household and there are indications that the deployment of these for the purposes of creating alternative fuel may spike prices in the short-run.

Dr Kupolokun disclosed that the Corporation has received a grant of 70,000 Euros from the Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Partnership (REEEP) from  Austria to support detailed feasibility study.

The study would include research analysis on how to achieve improved target yield performance for cassava whose current national average of 15 tons per hectre is considered marginal to feed the ethanol plant.

He also disclosed that work has commenced on the modification of the Corporation’s import reception facilities located at Port Harcourt and Mosimi areas in readiness to distribute the bio-fuel product.