The Federal Executive Council (FEC) on Wednesday unveiled a new policy that will see the use of methanol as an alternative fuel in Nigeria
Minister of Science and Technology, Ogbonna Onu, while briefing State House Correspondents after the weekly meeting of the FEC, said methanol, regarded as a much more cleaner energy source, will be produced from the abundant gas resources, currently being flared by oil companies
“One way to help us to completely solve this problem of gas flaring is to convert the natural gas into methane. Methanol is a liquid that is found virtually in all sectors of the economy. You can use methanol for transportation, all these racing cars that you find – they out M85, M100 essentially that M in methanol means it’s 85 per cent methanol, 15 per cent gasoline. But for ordinary use, normally the blending will be 15 per cent of methanol so that you don’t have to make any adjustment to your vehicle,” the minister said.
He disclosed that “methanol can be used to replace diesel in trucks that we find on our highways because methanol is cheaper and it is environmentally friendly so that all the problems that are associated with the use of diesel, can be solved by the use of methanol”.
According the minister, methanol is considered less expensive to produce, although it is also generally said to be more toxic, with lower energy density.
For optimizing engine performance and fuel availability, however, it is expected that a blend of ethanol, methanol and petroleum is likely to be preferable
Onu stated further that it will help provide cleaner fuel for Nigeria’s teeming rural populace.
“Our people in rural areas can use methanol for cooking so that it can replace kerosene because when you use kerosene you have soothes and it creates health problem for you but methanol does not have that, it’s very clean, safe and cheap,” he said.
The federal executive council gave the nod for private-sector enterprises to utilise gas in rural areas, even as Onu said the project would help in addressing the issues of deforestation as well.
“Today, we are losing many of our forest trees because we are using them for domestic energy. So methanol will do this and methanol is also used for generating electricity which we can use to power our plants and many other plants that currently use diesel, methanol will be a replacement,” Onu said.
Once implemented, the policy which will be private-sector driven, is expected help create new businesses particularly micro and small businesses, jobs, wealth, and fight against poverty
Also the Federal Executive Council FEC, on Wednesday approved April 2019 for the effective take off of the new minimum wage implementation.
According to the Minister of Labour, Chris Ngige, FEC approved that the “financial implications be worked out by the National Incomes and Wages Commission, that the salaries adjustment should take effect as from April 18, 2019, the day the new national minimum wage Act came into being. Council also approved for us that the financial implication be worked out and the payment should be completed in or before December 2019.”
He disclosed that Council also directed that the minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning through the office of the Accountant-General of the federation to effect all these payments before 31 December 2019.
“Council further directed also that the National Income and Wages Commission and the Ministry of Labour and Employment should send the consequential adjustment table down to the states and local government as an advisory document for their information and guidance for their national joint public service status in their respective states because the national minimum wage is a national law.
The FEC also approved the sum of N1.7b for the procurement of new communication equipment for the Zaria Aviation Training School and the Katsina Airport as part of plans to develop effective infrastructure for airports in the country
Minister of Communications, Ibrahim Pantami, while briefing State House Correspondents after the meeting said Council approved the change of the Ministry’s name from Ministry of Communications to Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy.
