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The Federal Government has been urged to show greater commitment to research and development in order to stimulate and fast-track the nation’s industrial and technological development.
Chief Executive of the National Agency and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI), Professor Mohammed Sani Haruna, who gave the charge, said unless government accord more attention to funding researchers in the industrial and technological sector, the economy may continue to develop at a slow pace if not stagnate.
Briefing newsmen at the Kaduna Polytechnic after the commissioning of a lecture theatre named after him in appreciation of his contribution to the development of technological advancement in the country, the NASENI boss gave the level of research and development towards economic growth a passmark, saying it was on track.
“Government has paid due attention to the development of science and technology sector generally by putting more funds in infrastructure, training, capacity building and in doing Research.”
He is optimistic that the impact of government’s efforts on funding research and development would soon be manifest.
“For example, I’ll tell you that my agency has existed for 32 years with funding mechanism in the past, it was never implemented until the present administration.”
Haruna listed the agency’s sources of fundings to include the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), TETfund, Ecological Funds, Petroleum Trust Development Fund (PTDF) and local content fundings.
“With efforts of the present government, and based on bilateral relations between Nigeria and Czech Republic, it has offered a lot of money For Nigeria’s research to solve various problems pervading the nation’s economy.”
Among those who lauded his efforts, leading to the naming of the lecture theatre after him, included the Governing Chairman of the Polytechnic, Senator Muhammed Muhammed, the Acting Rector, Dr. Suleiman Umar and the National President of KadPoly Alumni Association, Abada Anas Adamu.
