Olagija made the call while delivering his paper titled: "Emerging Trends in BioFuel Production And Benefits" at the second International Conference on Jatropha, organised by the University of Ilorin on Friday.

According to him, Jatropha has the ability to produce biofuel which can act as supplement to petroleum, adding that a hectare of Jatropha could produce 1,892 litres of fuel.

He said that the continuous increase in the price of crude oil had become a major problem to industrialised nations as well as the developing and underdeveloped countries.

Olagija noted that the development had led to the quest for alternative source of energy such as bio-diesel, adding that the Jatropha plant was a preferred choice in the production of bio-diesel.

He described bio-diesel as a type of bio-fuel derived from vegetable oil seed that could run in unmodified diesel engine such as cars, buses, trucks, construction equipment, trains and home heating equipment.

"The plant thrives in any type of soil, anywhere whether sandy, gravelly and saline soil and continues to grow for 50 years, making it a long-term investment," he said.

The Vice Chancellor of the University of Ilorin, Prof. Isa'aq Oloyede, represented by Prof. Momoh Fakunle, said the university had created a network of scholars and experts for interaction on Jatropha plant.