The Nigeria Institute of Transport Technology (NITT) Zaria, says it has acquired 84 hectares of land for Jathropa plantation to boost biofuel research.
Dr Bayero Farah, Director-General of the institute made this known on Monday in Zaria while briefing newsmen as part of activities to mark his one year in office.
Reports say that Jathropa is a genus of flowering plants in the sponge family of Euphorbiaceae and a raw material used for the production of biofuel.
According to him, the country is in search of alternative fuel and the plant can be used to boost research activities at the institute.
Dr. Farah noted that the institute is embarking on the plantation as a case study with a view to inviting private sector for more investments on biofuel for Nigeria’s transport industry
He further revealed that the institute had also acquired another 40 hectares of land from Sabon Gari Local Government in Kaduna State for the construction of Driver Development Training Centre.
The scribe posited that the institute was facilitating the accreditation from the National Board for Technical Education to offer National Diploma in Crane operations, welding and fabrication and mechatronics, so as to open windows of opportunities for the teeming youths in the country as well as improve the internally generated revenue of the institute.
Farah further noted that the institute had also established an intelligent transport unit which would gradually metamorphose into a National Transport Intelligence Centre with data of transport operators across the country while declaring that the institute have enjoyed an unprecedented level of patronage from its clients in the last one year.
Speaking futher, the Transport Boss said more than 3,000 participants have been trained under their short term programme, while 125 participants has graduated from the long term programme of the institute. The long term programme comprised certificate, diploma, advanced diploma, post graduate diploma as well Masters in Transport and Logistics technology.
