The Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF) and the National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI) are collaborating to adopt technology innovations for development across states in the country.
Alhaji Abdullatif Shittu, acting Director-General of NGF Secretariat dropped this hint when Professor Mohammed Sani, Executive Vice Chairman of NASENI and top management of the bod visited his office in Abuja.
Shittu however called on all Nigerians to patronize the technology products of the agency to enable it conduct more research and also help the nation de-emphasis importation of what the country can produce.
This will happen by harnessing of local technology for made-in-Nigeria products, among other goals, NASENI says.
President Muhammadu Buhari recently directed the NASENI management to explore ways of converting its technology outputs, machines and equipment developed by the agency for industrial revolution of Nigeria.
[blockquote right=”pull-right”]“President Muhammadu Buhari recently directed the NASENI management to explore ways of converting its technology outputs, machines and equipment developed by the agency for industrial revolution of Nigeria.”[/blockquote]
The President also directed NASENI to work with State Governors through the Governors Forum to use solar energy manufacturing facility and other renewable energy technologies like small Hydro power(SHP) produced by the agency to carry out electrification projects at State levels.
Professor Haruna said that the visit to the Governors forum secretariat was a follow-up by the agency to the Presidential directive.
”Our visit is apt because the Governors forum secretariat is a policy hub processing issues of common interest and mutual concerns to the 36 states of the Federation seeing to it that such issues are discussed in order to deepen good policy structure for the people in the states”, Shittu says.
According to him, “the forum was fashioned after the America governors forum which is a center for best practices in governance ensuring that the states get along in policy execution that will be beneficial to the people in their respective states.”
He however assured NASENI that the forum would continue to work with it to see how all of its activities would be cascaded to meet the desired needs that are required by states across Nigeria.
“Nigeria is running a federal system and to achieve a consensus, the only way is to have a forum, which is of two organs -the political and the technical. The technical organ is the secretariat, and part of its responsibility is to see to the policies how a number of things would impact positively, because the policy framework is holistic in addressing issues that cut across all the sectors, the principal, which is the state” the NGF acting D-G adds.
According to him, “unemployment is an enemy that is common to all the states of the federation, and the only way to address it is to engage our youths to create jobs and wealth through the utilization of science and technology resource.”
He also advised that NASENI’s relationships with tertiary institutions and Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) be strengthen particularly in the area of distribution of science kits to schools. A lot of fund could be derived from the Tertiary Education Fund (TetFund) while collaborations could be achieved with Automotive Council of Nigeria and other research centers both in Nigeria and abroad.
“We are well-placed as Governors Forum because of our position and that can give us leverage. The secretariat is impressed with your achievements, they are apt, and timely.We would have the governors to come and listen to your presentation, which will be a veritable platform to open you up; so think of things that can add value to the development of the nation, while your challenges should be made clear”, he adds.