The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Minister of Science and Technology

  • Buhari in Ebonyi, commission projects

    Buhari in Ebonyi, commission projects

    President Muhammadu Buhari arrived Abakaliki Ebonyi state at exactly 11:15 am Tuesday on a one day visit to the state.

    He was received on arrival by the State Governor, David Umahi and Wife Rachel, Minister of Science and Technology, Ogbonnaya Onu, Ex-Governor Martin Elechi and other top dignitaries from within and outside the state.

    He proceeded to Commission 14.5 Kilometer Abakaliki-Afikpo Road, a Federal Road reconstructed by the state government, two overhead bridges, Akanu Ibiam and Sen Offiah Nwali flyovers.

    The president also laid the foundation for a new tunnel named after him in the state capital.

     

  • Niger Delta: FG moves to establish oil, gas institute in Bayelsa

    Niger Delta: FG moves to establish oil, gas institute in Bayelsa

    …Orders fingerprinting of crude oil to end pipeline vandalism

     

    The Federal Government has concluded arrangements to establish an oil and gas institute in Bayelsa State as part of ongoing negotiations to tackle developmental problems in the Niger Delta region.

    President Muhammadu Buhari administration has been rolling out palliatives and infrastructural packages to develop human capacity and quell agitation in the region.

    The Minister of Science and Technology, Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu, made the disclosure, yesterday, when he visited Yenagoa, the state capital, for some official engagements.

    While paying a courtesy visit to the state Governor, Mr. Seriake Dickson, the minister said the institute would be sited in Odi, a community in Kolokuma-Opokuma Local Government Area, that suffered military invasion under former President Olusegun Obasanjo.

    Onu, who was received by the Deputy Governor, Rear Admiral John Jonah (retd) said the institute, when established would improve manpower in the Niger Delta and reduce unemployment in the country.

    He said siting of the institute in Bayelsa was strategic because of the contributions of the state to oil and gas sector in the country.

    The minister said the institute would enhance development of skills among the people of the region to stimulate the local economy and create activities in the oil-producing communities.

    He said: “The institute will not only create jobs and improve skills, but it will also create wealth. We need to develop capacity in oil and gas processes in the country”.

    The minister, who was also in Odi, to inaugurate the ultramodern Bioresources Laboratory complex and the livestock feed milling complex at the Bioresources Development Center (BIODEC),said the government was deploying technology to monitor pipelines and track the country’s oil.

    He said the laboratory would be deployed to investigate pipeline breaches following its capacity to embed fingerprints in oil.

    He said with the facility oil theft would soon be a thing of the past, as the fingerprinting would enable the country to track its crude oil anywhere when stolen and solve the problem of economic sabotage.

    Onu said the fingerprinting of the country’s crude oil would begin at the end of the year insisting that the technology could be deployed in the country.

    He said the country under the current administration had come of age and capable of solving her problems instead of depending on outsiders.

    He said: “This lab, the ultramodern laboratory, I feel very happy; for me, Nigeria is changing. With this capacity here now, we will be able to do many things.

    “I just gave them an instruction that by the end of the year, we should have fingerprinting of our crude oil, so that if anybody steals it we will be able to identify it, because even crude oil can have fingerprints and with the equipment we have here we can do it in Nigeria.

    “One problem that we have is that we rely on outside, from other people to solve our problems. We produce crude oil, we export it, but we now import refined petroleum products.

    “We exports our woods and we bring in toothpicks. We don’t want that anymore and for you to do all this things we rely on others, we have to look inward and we need to build capacity and what this facility is doing for us.

    I just mentioned to you now that you can do genome mapping of our rare crops, plants, animals that are unique to us. We can even have fingerprints of our own crude oil.

    “Normally, this is something we spent a lot of money and you ask other people to do it. Now, when we do it here, it is our person that will do it here, that is how to create jobs, that is how to create wealth because that money you could have sown outside will now be here and be use it here. Even though we are the largest economic in Nigeria, we want to bigger than that that.

    “We also need to fight poverty, if you create jobs, you will fight poverty, if you train people, you fight poverty and that’s what they are doing here and I think we are ready to fight poverty.”

    Also speaking, the Director-General of the Institute, Josiah Habu, said the target of the research center was to bring reliability, quality, originality, innovation and novelty to research and development.

    He said the inauguration of the facilities had officially opened the gateway to a higher level of bioresources prospecting and processing to new products and services.

    Habu said: “For a start, the quest for the DNA of Nigeria crude oil will soon be answered, to enable tracking of Nigeria crude oil flow globally, hence solve national problem of economic sabotage.”

  • APC factions hold parallel rallies in Ebonyi

    APC factions hold parallel rallies in Ebonyi

    A planned rally by the All Progressives Congress, APC, in Ebony state Monday raised tension in Abakaliki, the state capital as two factions of the party held parallel rallies to celebrate President Buhari’s return to the country after his medical trip in London.

    The rally was also expected to be used to protest against the state government’s proposed loan of $150million from the African Development Bank and Islamic Development Bank for construction  of over 198km ring road in the state.

    But surprisingly one of the factions of the party instead said it was in support of the $150million loan request from the state government for the construction of the 198km ring road.

    The parallel rallies and protests affected human and vehicular movements in Abakaliki the state capital where they were held.

    But for security agencies who were on hand to ensure there was no breakdown of law and order the two factions would have physical clashed.

    Two factions, one loyal to the Minister of Science and Technology, Dr. Ogbonnaya and governorship candidate of the party in 2015 general election, Senator Julius Ucha have been battling for supremacy and control of the party for years.

    Ucha’s faction of the party has Ben Nwachukwu as its Chairman while Onu’s faction recognises Nwobasi’s Vice, Eze Nwachukwu as Chairman.

    Ucha’s faction had distanced itself from the rally against the proposed $150million loan by the state government and called on its members to disregard the rally.

    Onu’s faction’s rally was against the proposed $150million loan by the state government which was also attended by former Governor of the state, Chief Martin Elechi.

    The state Chairman of the APC Ben Nwaobasi called on members of the party in the state to disregard the anti-$150 million loan rally.

    According to Nwaobasi those opposing the loan are indirectly opposing President Buhari  since the loan was approved by the National Assembly and the Federal Executive Council .

    “We are against the protest. We have told our members to disregard Nwachukwu and his group. They are not speaking for APC. What we want is development and that is why the President is not resting on his oars to ensure that he delivers on his promises.

    “Anybody who is attacking the President for aiding development in Ebonyi state is anti-people. We must not strangulate the progress and development of our state because we are in opposition in the state. The President has emphasized that he belongs to everybody and belongs to nobody”.

    “The loan has been approved by the national assembly that has the largest numbers of APC members. The same loan was deliberated in the federal executive council and approved. Then, to whose interest is Nwachukwu serving? We must unite for the development of our state and country. APC in Ebonyi state is solidly behind President Muhammadu Buhari and we want him to continue to support our state in any measure for the development of the state”, Nwobasi said.

    He explained that APC is in support of any programme that would lead to the development of the state, stressing that the ring road if constructed would boost the economic fortunes of the state and alleviate the sufferings of the people.

    He thanked God for the return of the President from his medical trip from London and urged Nigerians to continue to pray for peace and unity of the country.

    Meanwhile, Governor David Umahi has warned the warring factions against further breakdown of law and order in the state through their rallies and counter rallies.

    The governor through his Chief Press Secretary, Emmanuel Uzor noted that in as much as the state government is not oblivious of the fact that opposition is a veritable ingredient of democracy, all political actors in the APC should imbibe the rule of the game by conducting themselves in a manner that will not pose security threats to the state.

    “The governor condemns seriously the activities of the two factions of APC and advice them to put their house in order as the state government will not fold its hands to allow few political hawks drag the state back”.

  • FEC okays N20.6 billion for road contracts

    FEC okays N20.6 billion for road contracts

    …Approves policy for technology acquisition

     

    The Federal Executive Council (FEC) on Wednesday approved N20.6 billion for road contracts in Plateau and Kwara states.

    The Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, briefed State House correspondents at the end of the FEC meeting chaired by Acting President Yemi Osinbajo at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

    He was with the Minister of Information, Lai Mohammed, Minister of Trade and Investment, Okechukwu Enelamah and the Minister of Science and Technology, Ogbonnaya Onu.

    The two roads, he said, are N10.4 billion for the reconstruction of Pankshin-Balank-Yalen-Salak-Gindiri road in Plateau state and N10.2 billion for reconstruction of Sharre-Patigi road in Kwara state.

    He said “The ministry presented two memoranda to the council. The first was to with respect for approval to construct the Pankshin-Balank-Yalen-Salak-Gindiri road in Plateau state for N10.46billion.

    “The second one is the Sharre-Patigi road in Kwara for N10.2 billion; both prayers were approved by the council.

    “The other memorandum was in respect to inherited liabilities from the old power ministry where a judgment of N119 billion had been signed against the Federal Government as a result of acts of officials of government who varied the presidential approval without seeking further directive from him and then awarded the contract on that basis.

    “So the party who was the beneficiary of that contract which they subsequently sought to withdraw went to court and got a judgment,” he said.

    Onu said that the Council approved a policy to encourage technological advancement in Nigeria.

    The initiative, he said, will help Nigerian firms to produce what the country needs as it will boost foreign investment in Science, Technology and Engineering from where local content could be developed.

    Through the policy, he said that technology transfer will be facilitated with more taxes to be paid to government, and wealth creation for the country and people.

    “The Federal Executive Council in its deliberations approved a policy that will help us to change the direction that we have been taking as a nation, a direction that will be very useful in helping us to start looking inwards to produce the things that we need as against depending on other outside people to import our requirements.

    “Some of the highlights will involve for example where we have bulk purchases of major items that we are bringing into the country that those who normally would have supplied from outside the country will now come to Nigeria to establish their factories to produce in Nigeria.

    “By doing so they will offer job opportunities to our people, tax will be paid to government so wealth will be created but most importantly Nigeria will now acquire the necessary technology that will help us to build capacity.’’

    Onu said that FEC agreed that henceforth whoever wanted to practice any profession, in Engineering, Science and Technology, Medicine, Accountancy, Quantity Surveyors and others must be certified by appropriate professional bodies in Nigeria.

    He said the measure was very important in building the nation’s local capacity adding that there were so many areas that the fiscal policy had covered.

    According to him the aim is that in the next 10 years Nigerian firms shall be in a position to carry out very complex jobs, especially the ones that they do not currently have the expertise to do.

    He said the country would for now rely on foreign companies for such jobs but when they arrive they have to work with Nigerian firms who would understudy them from project conception to inauguration.

    The minister stated that it was the only way that the country could acquire the necessary technology to build our local capacity hoping that in 20 years Nigerian firms should be competing with the best in the world.

    He said FEC has accepted to declare a state of emergency on Science and Technology because the Economic Recovery and Growth Plan 2017 to 2020 recognised the cardinal place of science and technology in driving the recovery and growth plan.

    “We are not looking for transfer of technology because we know it would not happen; what we are looking for is acquisition of technology and we are interested in building our own capacity.

    “We are convinced that we can do this and we believe that with the new policy we will be in a position to acquire technology,’’ he stated.

    Onu noted that the country could train professionals using the foreign professionals adding that the Ministry of Interior would be involved to ensure creation of a new classification in the immigration policy in that regard.

    He also said that the ministry of foreign affairs would help the country to improve its free visa status ranking from the present 92 position.

    He described the position as very low as it allowed Nigerians to enter only 45 countries on free visa.

    He said this was a difficult journey but would take Nigeria to where it should be in the committee of nations.

    Onu added that the approval had not been done since the country became independent and added that in project design the country would insist that all the language would be in English rather than any other foreign language.

    He noted that with the movement of other nations toward solar and other means of technology outside oil the country should be preparing for a post-crude oil era.

    Enelamah said that FEC approved a memorandum that was presented to amend the list of pioneer industries and products that will enjoy pioneer status going
    forward.

    This, according to him, is line with the ease of doing business policy of government.

    He said “As many of you know the pioneer incentive scheme is governed by ye Industrial Development Income Tax Relief Act and the whole purpose is to give tax holidays to industries we consider pioneer. Pioneer doesn’t mean that they are new it only means that they are not yet mature, we want those industries to grow.

    “We want to attract investment in them and you will find that this covers a wide range of industries and those tax holidays ranges from 3-5years. The pioneer list was last reviewed by the Federal Executive Council in 2006, so you could see that this was long overdue.

    “On doing the review, special attention was paid to the ERGP to capture the current realities that will help to implement the plan to make sure we attract the kind of investment, industries and players that will help to implement and realize our objectives in the ERGP.

    “I should also point out that there was multi stakeholder engagement, private and public sector in arriving at the industries that will be included in the pioneer incentive scheme.

    “In terms of the recommendations approved by FEC today: we have tried to remove all ambiguities in the definition of industries by reclassifying industries according to the international standard in industrial classification which is the global standard which is also the standard that is used by the Nigeria Bureau of Statistics.

    “The other thing we also did is to agree that the pioneer list will be reviewed regularly every two years, biannually so that just that if things come up, we live in a fast changing world and we are being responsive to our world. In the case of additions to the list they will be effected immediately, for deletion of industries that we consider mature there will be a three year window that will be allowed for those that are already investing in that industry that were enjoying pioneer status to carry on till the end of that three year period.

    “Against this backdrop, we then approved 27 industries that were recommended for addition to the pioneer list today. We also recommended and it was accepted by the Council that mineral oil prospecting which is governed by the Petroleum Profit Tax should not be part of the pioneer industries list which is really industries governed by the Companies Income Tax Act.

    “It was also accepted that given the success we have achieved in cement which are now net exporters, maybe that is an industry which we could say that we are now where we want to be in terms of maturity even though there is still a lot of scope for the application and the use of cement and you know that will continue. We already have critical mass in cement.

    “The scheme will ensure that will not deprive us of revenue. It is an incentive to make people enter your market, new enter industries, invest more for people who are already here. It will increase our tax base over time,” he stated.

     

  • Buhari holistically transforming Nigeria – Minister

    Minister of Science and Technology, Ogbonnaya Onu, says President Muhammadu Buhari is holistically transforming Nigeria.
    The minister told journalists in Zaria, Kaduna State that Nigeria has so many things to be happy about since the coming to power of the Buhari administration.
    The News Agency of Nigeria [NAN] reports that the minister was in Zaria to inaugurate a chemical laboratory at the National Research Institute for Chemical Technology (NARICT) and a plant for the production of high grade precipitated calcium carbonate and caustic soda.
    “We have so many things to be happy with and to say yes that our country is on the move again.
    “Yes, of course, we are on the move, we really want to transform Nigeria and we are very hopeful that by the grace of God we will transform our country,” Onu said.
    He, however, tasked Nigerians on collective efforts towards the transformation drive.
    “The problem of transforming the economy is something that will involve all Nigerians, so we need to work together.
    “It is not just the research institutes that will do it alone, we need the industries too.
    “Here we have the industry coming to assist research and developmental works of the nation, knowing that in the end, they will be the primary beneficiaries.
    “The output will be of great interest and benefit to the nation’s industrialisation programme and all Nigerians,” he noted.
    Also in an interview, the NARICT Acting Director-General, Prof. Mohammed Yakubu said the projects inaugurated by the minister would add value to the quest for Nigeria’s industrialisation.
    He appreciated the support of NOTAP, PZ and RMRDC for their contributions to the success of the research projects.
    “Hardly is there any serious research and development institution in Nigeria that does not owe its success story to the intervention of RMRDC.
    “We in NARICT are proud to continue to enjoy their patronage for a long time. We collaborated with them to develop a plant for multi-metric salts production facility.
    “With this facility, we are sure we will be able to supplement reagent grade and industrial grade metric salts needed in this country,” the D-G said.
    He disclosed that the institute was also collaborating with RMRDC in Kenaf fibre processing technology, indigo dye extraction technology and adaptable dye machine fabrication technology among others.

  • ‘Believe in Buhari’s administration’

    ‘Believe in Buhari’s administration’

    Minister of Science and Technology, Dr Ogbonnaya Onu has urged Nigerians to have confidence in the ability of President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration to transform Nigeria.

    Onu spoke to the Correspondent of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in New York on the sidelines of an Investment Forum organised by the ministry.

    According to Onu, Nigeria’s future is bright.

    “No matter the challenges and the problems that we have in Nigeria, Nigeria has a bright future because we have intelligent people and even Americans know that Nigerians are very intelligent.

    “We heard that the drone which is being used to kill terrorists in Afghanistan was invented by a Nigerian.

    “So how can a nation, blessed with so many intelligent people not have a bright future?

    “So whatever the problems, just be confident and believe in this administration as it is determined to change Nigeria,” he said.

    The minister said the Federal Government was working assiduously to take the country away from recession to prosperity through its Economic Growth and Recovery Plan.

    Onu, who was the Second Republic governor of Abia, explained that the plan had Science and Technology as its base, adding that this had never happened before.

    “We have recognised that we would not move one foot in the right direction without Science and Technology and as Minister of Science and Technology, I am determined to help the President to transform our economy from resource-based to knowledge-based, innovation-driven economy,” he said.

    He blamed the recession on the failure of the country to diversify its economy since independence, noting that countries like South Korea that diversified their economy were not in recession.

    “Now if you diversify your economy through agriculture and you don’t pay attention to Science and Technology, you will still go back to the same problem.

    “There was a time Nigeria had enough rice to feed her citizens and exported rice to other countries.

    “Don’t forget that there was a time we were the number one exporter of palm oil to the world, but today, we are importing all these items.

    “So it’s because that diversification was not sustainable. You must diversify in a sustainable manner, and to make it sustainable, tt must be based all on Science and Technology so that you remain competitive.

    “If you are not competitive after sometimes, your level of production will decline”.

    NAN reports that the forum was attended by many Nigerians from across the U.S., who advised the home government to carry them along in the scheme of things.

  • FG tasks diaspora on national development

    The Federal Government has tasked Nigerians in the diaspora on the need to assist the country attain economic and technological development.

    Minister of Science and Technology, Dr Ogbonnaya Onu, said at the ministry’s Investment Forum in New York, organized for Nigerians, that the diaspora had a lot to contribute to the country.

    “Our visit to New York is to get our people in the Diaspora to think home, just imagine what other nations diaspora have been able to achieve for them.

    “If we look at India, there is no way India would have attained the level of development that it have attained today; India is orbiting Mars.

    “India is a space power, India is a nuclear power. India could never have achieved this level without the contributions of her citizens in the Diaspora; the same way China.

    “So we believe that Nigerians in the diaspora, through NIDO (Nigerians In Diaspora Organization) United States, NIDO Worldwide, should be in a position to help our nation.

    “To move from the position we are today to the position where we can be the truly great nation that nature has destined us to be.

    “And what that means is that we are now, that we’ve come to our Nigerians in the diaspora, to now look at the researches that we have already conducted in the country.

    “These researches, we’ve taken all the risks that you need to take if you were to do it yourself.”

    Onu disclosed that the Federal Institute of Industrial Research, Oshodi (FIIRO) has about 250 products that they have taken up to commercialization level.

    “If we had enough venture capital, there would be people who would come, chasing after these products because that is the easiest way to make money.

    “But we would prefer to hand over this research not even as a partner; you enter into an agreement whereby there would be some fees – the normal license fees.

    “If it is a Nigerian company, we would be very happy to do so because this company will come, establish the facility in Nigeria and be in a position to now hire Nigerians.

    “It will also be in a position to help grow our Gross Domestic Product for the whole country and then you as a Nigerian, you will be making money and you pay more tax to government.”

    Onu said the task of developing Nigeria had now become an urgent one, particularly with science and technology at the livewire of the development.

    He promised to protect the intellectual property so that no other person would come to lay claim to ownership.

    Some diaspora Nigerians commended the ministry and its agencies for their research breakthroughs and called for transparency and removal of bottlenecks in government businesses to aid investment.

     

  • FG to deploy renewable energy to diversify economy

    FG to deploy renewable energy to diversify economy

    The Federal government is working towards deploying renewable energy technology to assist Nigeria in the diversification process of the nation’s economy.

    The Minister of Science and Technology, Dr Ogbonnaya Onu revealed this when he received members of the Nigerian Association for Energy Economics in his office in Abuja Thursday.

    According to the Minister, priority would be given to the energy sector to explore the natural resources Nigeria is endowed with through research and innovative processes that will add value in building national development.

    He said that the Federal Ministry of Science and Technology is contributing immensely in research and developmental work in order to build up renewable energy in Nigeria in areas such as solar energy, wind energy, bio energy and small hydro power plants.

    Onu further stated that the Energy Commission is a focal agency under the purview of the Federal Ministry of Science and Technology would help in generating renewable energy for the nation.

    The Ministry he said is playing an important role in this regard and assured that it will do everything humanly possible to ensure that energy is not only affordable but also accessible for rural communities in Nigeria.

    The Minister said that the Federal Ministry of Science and Technology is designing stoves and coal as well as pallets and compressing biomass with a view to improving the life of rural communities

    He further stated that, the Ministry, in conjunction with agencies such as National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI) as well as the National Space Research and Development Council (NARDA) are utilizing the renewable energy to increase the energy contents and add value to the huge resources we have in the energy sector.

    Dr Onu asserted that in order to have the appropriate energy mix in Nigeria, which will be crucial to aid the diversification process of the federal government, the ministry is working assiduously to ensure the harnessing and utilizing of natural  resources efficiently to bring the country out of recession.

    He affirmed that ministry of Science and Technology is well positioned to take the lead in the diversification process of President Muhammadu Buhari led administration.

    He promised Nigerians that the Ministry will provide the necessary technological and scientific backups to protect  palm oil pipelines since Nigeria will soon be engaged in the production and exportation of palm products in the country in the near future.

    In his opening remarks, the President of the association, Professor Wumi Iledare informed the minister that the association has been working in collaboration with Energy Commission an agency under its purview, to determine technology for energy mix required in Nigeria.

    He further, intimated him of their upcoming 10th anniversary programme coming up in march 25th 2017, with a view to discussing the interplay of energy, economy, environment, affordability, adaptability, sustainability, and security of energy resources in Nigeria for national development.

     

  • FG to close all technology gaps in Nigeria – Onu

    FG to close all technology gaps in Nigeria – Onu

    The Federal Government says it will close all technology gaps to advance national development.

    The Minister of Science and Technology, Dr Ogbonnaya Onu, said this when he featured on the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) Forum in Abuja.

    He said all agencies under the ministry would be fully engaged, particularly the National Office for Technology and Acquisition Promotion (NOTAP), to fast-track development in the country.

    “NOTAP is working very hard; we have the national technology acquisition promotion initiative.

    “We are going to use that initiative to close technology gaps that we have in the country.

    “There is a lot of technology gaps almost in all sectors.

    “So, NOTAP we help us .We have a baskets of incentives, some will come from NOTAP, some will come from ministry of trade investment and some will come from ministry of finance.

    “ These are incentives that will promise the company that come into Nigeria with the aim not only to make profits but also to transfer to allow Nigerians to acquire the technology.“

    Onu said the Federal Government, represented by the ministry, had signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with NASCO Foods Limited, Jos, for commercial production of high nutrient density biscuits for the National School Feeding Programme.

    According to him, the MoU indicates the Federal Government’s commitment in keeping to its campaign promise to provide quality education in the country.

    “The MoU was meant to provide a strategic guide for the collaboration between the Ministry, Federal Institute of Industrial Research (FIIRO), Oshodi, and Nasco Foods Limited, Jos, on commercial production of High Nutrient Density Biscuits.

    “The initiative was an innovation of FIIRO for the National School Feeding Programme in the spirit of Public-Private Partnership being promoted by the government.

    “This is based on the realisation that an institute on its own cannot make the much desired impact without collaborating with relevant organisations.

    “With this collaboration, jobs and wealth will be created, while the national GDP will be enhanced through the productive sector of the economy, “ the minister said.

    Onu stated that the choice of Nasco Foods Limited in the partnership is based on the company’s integrity and experience in the industry.

    The minister said the Project Development Institute (PRODA) had a crucial role to play in innovation, adding that the ministry had given the institute the mandate to produce pencils.

    “We consume pencils in millions considering primary school pupils, artists, and architects that use pencil and all the component parts of pencil are in Nigeria.

    “What we want is to use our own raw materials to produce all the component parts for making the pencil, because that is how we can create the jobs.

    “If you bring in the machines and the parts from outside, you are not creating jobs.

    “If you have to process, add value to our own locally available raw materials, then you will create a large pool of jobs.

    “After that is done, we will now look at those machines to redesign and produce in Nigeria.

    “That (way) again, we create a new set of jobs,’’ Onu said.

    He affirmed that technology was the way to go for Nigeria if it was to diversify its source of revenue and the economy.

    The minister expressed optimism that the success of the projects would encourage Nigerian entrepreneurs to stay and do business in the country.

  • Nigerian astronaut will be in space by 2030 – Onu

    Nigerian astronaut will be in space by 2030 – Onu

    The Minister of Science and Technology, Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu, on Thursday in Abuja, said a Nigerian astronaut would land in space on or before 2030.

    Onu made the assertion when the management team of the Defence Space Agency, led by the Director-General, Air Vice Marshal Victor Udoh, visited him.

    The minister said the Federal Government was putting all the structures on ground to ensure that Nigerian astronauts landed in space on or before 2030.

    “The space programme is very important for a country like Nigeria.

    “The ministry will work very hard in the years ahead to strengthen all the structures of the agencies that will help us to ensure that the nation plays a role in the space’’, he said.

    He said the ministry would intensify efforts to ensure that all the arrangements needed were provided.

    According to him, the space “is a major asset which nations like Nigeria must also be involved in for the purposes of protecting national interest.”

    Onu assured the team that the ministry would support and work with the agency in the best interest of the nation.

    Earlier, the Director-General said the agency would like to collaborate with the ministry in order to be more efficient and effective.

    He said working with the ministry would fast-track accomplishments of the agency’s stated objectives.