allAfrica.com: Nigeria: Bio Fuel - the Future of Northern Nigeria (Page 1 of 1)

Bio fuels are solids, liquids and gases derived from living organisms and used as fuel. Unlike petrol, coal and nuclear fuels, it is environmentally-friendly and a renewable fuel based on carbon cycle.

The carbon dioxide resulting from burning bio-ethanol would be equal to that soaked up from the atmosphere by the plants from which it is made. Thus, it would not damp supplementary carbon dioxide into the atmosphere like fossil fuels do. Raw materials used in making bio fuels include corn, cassava, sugar cane, soya beans, etc. The most commonly used bio fuels are vegetable oil, methanol, ethanol, and butanol. In Europe, America and Asia, bio fuels have been used to power machines, generate electricity and transport vehicles.

One of the major advantages of bio fuels over most other fuels is that it is biodegradable and so relatively harmless to the environment. It is a renewable energy source in which during the process of its production, a number of co-products are being produced such as protein fractions that are used as animal feeds or as fertiliser. In the production of ethanol, for instance, there is the concomitant production of carbon dioxide which is very significant, as there is as much production of carbon dioxide as ethanol during fermentation. This kind of carbon dioxide is very pure and is often recovered for use in the chemical industry and for the production of soft drinks. They can also be used in chemical, cosmetic and pharmaceutical industries.

The history of bio fuels can be traced back to the period of World War II. Then, it was only seen as an alternative to imported oil. After the world war, cheap Middle Eastern oil lessened interest in bio fuels. However, during the 1973 and 1979 oil shocks, interest increased in bio fuels, but later the counter shock of 1986 reduced oil price and interest. Of recent, however, bio fuels have gained more popularity globally as a result of concerns over the potential oil peak, green house gas emission (global warming) and instability in the Middle East, which have pushed renewed interest in bio fuels. The USA, for example, vowed to replace 75% of its oil import from the Middle East with bio fuels by the year 2025.

Though Nigeria is the sixth largest producer of fossil fuel, with huge financial resources accruing from its sales, yet the oil has failed to solve many of its problems; it has been bedevilled by a series of socio-economic problems ranging from militancy in the Niger Delta region, resource control, unemployment, decay of basic infrastructure, poverty, illiteracy and above all "mass production" of greenhouse gasses that led to the deforestation of more than 1/3th of Northern Nigeria's vast agricultural land.

Every now and then, the northern part of Nigeria and its inhabitants have become instruments of intimidation and humiliation by its southern brothers owing to the Godly-endowed large deposit of fossil fuel available in the region [Niger Delta]. Even though the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria has specifically stated that all land resources belong to the Federal Government, yet they come up with new ways of manipulating our resources from increase in revenue allocation to be far higher than those of other regions, to the notorious resource control all in an effort to claim full ownership of the resources that our forefathers suffered and laboured for. They were so quick to forget that these refineries were built from the proceeds of export of groundnut, cotton, hides and skin.

If our forefathers could use crude implements to produce agricultural products that sustained the North, Nigeria and also served as a source of export, I see no reason why our generation with wide range of sophisticated mechanised implements should not resort to agriculture and reduce our dependency on fossil fuel and create our own fuel that is renewable and environmentally-friendly. Northern Nigeria with its vast fertile agricultural land and manpower on the other hand can be a leading exporter of biofuels topping countries like Brazil. The raw materials are usually sugar cane, cassava, groundnut oil, castor bean, sweet potato, sweet sorghum, etc., all of which are being cultivated in Northern Nigeria and have proved to give high yields.

To achieve this, the Northern Governors' Forum must device a means of assisting our local farmers with minimum or even zero interest loans, fertiliser subsidy, easy access to farm implements for hiring at a cheaper rate, robust agricultural extension service and a strategic medium of purchasing the agricultural yields from the farmers for onward processing into bio fuels.

Bio refinery performs the functions of refining agricultural products into bio fuel, i.e. it should be set up in each of the 19 Northern states. Bio refineries are not that expensive when compared with the extravagancies indulged in by some state governments. Also, available funds must be in place for scholarship, continuous research and development to unveil novel technologies. If our governors can resort to this alone, it would go a long way to reduce the menace of political thuggery, praise-singing and sycophancy. It will also open ways for mass employment, wealth generation and a green environment cutting down poverty index, militant activities and above all desert encroachment.

However, despite all these benefits, critics and cynics have criticised bio fuel production. For instance, they maintain that due to the lucrative tendency of bio fuel, they perceive that our peasant farmers may convert from production of food crops to the production of raw materials for bio fuel. This situation they claim may lead to rise in food prices. Contrary to their claims, new techniques are emerging that utilise the inedible cellulose components of plants to produce high grade bio fuel. It has also been shown that the inedible portion of plants contain far more complex hydrocarbons [active ingredients] for bio fuel production. This has turned out to be double advantage to our farmers, because they would cultivate food crops and raw materials at the same time.

They are also of the opinion that monoculture and intensive farming may become popular, which may cause environmental damage. On the other hand, poverty in Nigeria is the main cause of environmental destruction. If farmers in Nigeria become oil farmers who sell bio fuels on the international market, their income will increase substantially and pressure on the environment will decrease and in turn control environmental damage.

A UN study has shown that bio fuels made from crops grown in the tropics [sugar cane, maize, sweet sorghum, palm oil and cassava, etc] have very high energy efficiency, and luckily, Nigeria is situated in the tropical region of the world. Therefore, Northern governors should not lose this opportunity of leading the world in bio fuel production.

Disa, Chairman, Yobe South Youth Development Association, wrote from No. 23, Anguwan Jaji, Potiskum, Yobe State.

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