Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida University, Lapai, has expanded her research portfolio into Green Energy.

This is in addition to her current focus on hydrocarbon deposits in Nigeria’s inland frontier basins embracing the Bida and Sokoto Basins as well as the Benue Trough, the Anambra Basin, the Chad Basin and the Dahomey Basin through an endowment funding of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Ltd of the Professorial Chair in Basinal Studies endowed at the Institution.

In a welcome address at the research commencement workshop held in the Senate Chamber of the University, the Vice Chancellor, Professor Abu Kasim Adamu said the University is carefully aligning itself with the focus and mandates of its project sponsors, the NNPC Ltd, energy for today, energy for tomorrow.

Professor Adamu stressed that, although crude oil was gradually phasing out, it is still the energy for today and cannot be wished away, hence IBB University is committed to researching into finding more hydrocarbon habitats in Nigeria’s sedimentary basins.

The Vice Chancellor said, Nigeria and indeed the world is in an era of energy transition and that tomorrow’s economy will be driven by green energies, made up mainly of the renewable and alternative climate friendly energy sources.

Also speaking, the NNPC Limited Chair Professor at the Institution, Professor Nuhu George Obaje, who is also heading the Green Energy research project said that the world was in an era of energy transition as a measure to drastically reduce net carbon emission to create wealth and mitigate negative climate change impacts.

According to Professor Obaje, preliminary surveys by his team indicate significant quantities of green transition minerals in the geological terrains of Niger, Nasarawa and Kebbi States. These green transition minerals include Lithium, Cobalt, Copper, Manganese, Nickel, Lead, Zinc and the Alkalis derivable from Feldspars, Micas and Bauxites.

He maintained that these green transition minerals are the raw materials for the manufacture of batteries for Electric Vehicles (EVs), solar cells and wind turbines that constitute the bulk of green energies.

Professor Obaje said geological mapping will be undertaken in the Kontagora – Nasko – Rijau areas of Niger State; Onda and Adudu-Ribi axis of Nasarawa State, Lafiagi-Pategi areas of Kwara State, and Darana area of Kebbi State.

He however stayed that the results from the project is expected to make great new contributions to knowledge on critical energy minerals in the geological terrains of Nigeria, aligned to Sustainable Development Goals 1 (end poverty), 4 (quality education), 7 (clean and affordable energy) and 13 (climate action).

The Chair Professor Obaje said further that laboratory geochemical analyses that will deploy the novel CoMEGP methodology will constitute the basis for cost effective characterization (quality, grade) and quantification (quantity, reserve) of these mineral deposits.

The project team asserted that at the end of the project, Nigeria will be contributing 30% of global green transition mineral requirements for green energies which will in turn make huge contribution to global decarbonization programmes and aspiration of Nigeria to achieve a net-zero-carbon emission.

“The country will earn good monies from mining for her economic growth and advancement.”

In a goodwill message, the Registrar, Alhaji Idris Saleh Kusherki said it is expected that government agencies, such as Energy Commission of Nigeria, Raw Materials Research and Development Council, International Energy Agency, some NGOs and the private sector will buy into this project but for now IBB University is kickstarting this project through funds provided by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited from the endowed Professorial Chair in Basinal Studies at the University.