16th November, 2015
The National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI) on Sunday urged the newly sworn-in Minister of Science and Technology, Mr Ogbonnaya Onu, to make adequate funding of research work his top priority.
Prof. Mohammed Sani Haruna, the Executive Vice-Chairman of NASENI, made the appeal on Sunday in Abuja while speaking with NAN.
Haruna stressed that adequate funding of research work would facilitate Nigeria’s efforts to achieve rapid technological development.
“Technologies developed in the areas of spares, components and systems engineering will be increased and easily transferred to entrepreneurs for the production of goods and services,” he said
He, however, appealed to all relevant stakeholders to work with the minister to promote Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) in the nation.
“No nation, from the beginning of time, has ever become great without embracing science and technology.
“Science and Technology is an instrument which Nigeria can practically utilise to achieve the goals Vision 20: 2020,” he said.
Haruna, who commended President Muhammadu Buhari for appointing a minister to oversee the science and technology sector, described Onu as “an intelligent and visionary leader who has passion for the development of science and technology in the country”.
He, nonetheless, pledged that NASENI would intensify its efforts to conduct developmental work in manufacturing, while streamlining applications of technologies developed within or outside its centres, including the patents obtained.
“NASENI operates mainly through its development institutes and each of the institutes has a unique mandate of engineering infrastructural development.
“Some of the agency’s achievements include production of science kits for secondary schools, installation of a 7.5 megawatts solar panel manufacturing plant in Abuja and a 10 megawatts hydro power plant at its Ketti site, also in Abuja.”