| At the just concluded Science Expo 2020, organised by the Federal Ministry of Science and Technology, the federal government awarded the top three innovators with cash prizes of N1 million, N750, 000 & N500, 000 respectively. BINTA SHAMA reports. At the closing ceremony of the week-long science expo in Abuja recently, the Federal Ministry of Science and Technology, through a committee that was set up purposely to oversee the work of indigenous innovators and inventors at the venue, where they displayed their invention, fetched out the best outstanding innovation amongst many others.The innovators and inventors at the 2020 Expo that came 1st, 2nd and 3rd in different competitions were awarded N1 million, N750,000 and N500,000 respectively, which in turn is expected to help to build a science and technology culture in the country. Onu on tour at Expo’ 2020 While on a tour to each stand of every inventor’s work by the Minister of Science and Technology, Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu, said the number of participants has surpassed his imagination, adding that if Nigerians can do more of this, definitely the country will rapidly grow beyond where she is today.The minister expressed delight at the turn-up of innovations displayed at the expo, which according to him will soon be commercialised to help the country realize its economic diversification agenda.“In keeping up with the plan to move the Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) Expo to various geo-political regions of the country, the next edition would be held at the South-West geo-political region of the country, which the venue will be communicated later in the nearest future,” Onu disclosed. A meeting point Earlier, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Dr. Bello Umar, said the science expo, will continue to be a meeting point for Innovators, Inventors and Investors and help promote investment opportunities in STI.He lauded all stakeholders in STI and all who graced the occasion for their support and commitment to push the nation forward.While giving his goodwill message, the Executive Governor of Nasarawa state, Engr. A. Sule, urged the nation to take advantage of the global crisis to develop capacity in STI.He commended the ministry for establishing a technology incubation centre in his state and invited willing investors to invest in his state. Comments from Directors-Generals of some agencies under FMST According to the Director-General of the Raw Material Research and Development Council (RMRDC), Professor Hussaini Ibrahim, whose organisation emerged overall best in the research institutions category with its research on lovastatin from mushroom species at the expo, said that the attainment of the star prize position by his council was a sign of hard work and the determination of the staff and management to add more efforts to their game, stating that hard work pays.He further lauded the minister and his team for withstanding all odds to have a successful expo in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), especially in a period the entire world is faced with serious challenge. Speaking to Blueprint Newspaper, the Director-General of the National Office for Technology Acquisition and promotion (NOTAP), Dr. DanAzumi Mohammed Ibrahim, said the yearly expo is for the purpose of bringing together researchers, innovators, inventors, creators and investors for the purpose of commercialization and thus, progress in the number of patents there is in the country.“For instance, the number of patents available in the entire nation of Nigeria was merely 6 which have now jumped to 57 in the present due to hard work put in by the minister and his team in promoting the development of indigenous software through establishment of local vendor policy in Nigeria. And I assure you that with what you see here today, there will be more patent before the year runs out,” he stated.Speaking, Dr. Ngozi Oparah, the Director-General of Nigerian Institute of Leather and Science Technology (NILEST), working judiciously to enhance the growth of diversified economy through the leather industry in Nigeria said the leather sector is one that should never be neglected as it is important in the diversification of the economy. Diversification efforts Further speaking, the NILEST boss said that in role to address the diversification efforts to the current Administration and the need to patronize made-in-Nigeria products and thus reduce unemployment rate in the country, the Institute has focused in the deepening the position of training, research and development activities to support this important sector of the Nigerian economy. She said that Nigeria could be great through the encouragement of indigenous technology “this programme is a boost to unlocking the enormous potentials existing in leather sector for the benefit of this country. Oparah therefore disclosed that in no distance time Nigeria leather brand will compete favourably with foreign products. Shared information Being another Edition of Expo, inventors had a lot of experience to share with Nigerians.Speaking to an innovator, the CEO of IKANI PP MERV & GIS, Egnr. Dr Agada Sunday Ojonimi said his invention the IKANI electronic voting machine and the Project and Programmes Monitoring Evaluation Reporting and Verification with Geographical Information System (IKANI PP MERV & GIS) for capital projects, FEC Approved Projects, Zonal Intervention and Constituency Projects. Thus, create an avenue for work to be down with ease and not congesting oneself to travel down to the sites, especially in this period of insurgency. Aquaponics According to an innovator, Mr. Olumide Odunaiya, his invention, an Aquaponics (growing fish and plants together) is a new invention that can be grown anywhere in the world, adding that if the federal government can accept this, the vegetation will become more appreciated.Speaking at the opening ceremony, the Minister of State Science and Technology, Barr. Mohammed Abdullahi said the objective of the expo was to enable Science and Technology contribute effectively to the overall Economic Recovery and Growth which is in conjunction with the national Economic Recovery and Growth Plan (ERGP). Nigerian scientists, engineers, inventors, and innovators “Expo is designed to encourage interaction between researchers and inventors, bringing to the forefront the capabilities of Nigerian scientists, engineers, inventors, and innovators towards facilitating the growth of indigenous manufacturing hinged on Science, Technology and Innovations as well as to promote STI culture in Nigeria.” Abdullahi lauded the federal government for the initiative saying that it is the only way in which it can be great. “No nation can achieve greatness without enhancing STI. The ministry and it parastatals are in support of the initiative using the instrument of STI to drive the national economy to the next level through strategic economic diversification programme in the wake of the dwindling oil revenue DICON CED came second with an innovation of military equipment, like M-RAP Ezugwu Mine Resistance, Patrol Vehicle Ballistic Uniform Riffle, while the National Space Research Development Agency (NASENI) came third place with a 3-Axis Gravimeter under the Research Institutions Category respectively. The team for this year’s Expo is ‘Enhancing The Growth of a Diversified Economy through Science and Technology’ to support the vision of the present administration and boost the naira. |
