Speaker of the House of Representatives, Dr. Tajudeen Abbas, has said former Minister of Science, Technology, and Innovation, Late Ogbonnaya Onu, through scientific initiatives, saved Nigeria over N1trillion.
Dr. Abbas stated this while delivering the first memorial lecture in honour of the late minister and former governor of old Abia state in Abuja, Friday.
He added that the initiative also helped in addressing the issue of unemployment through the creation of over 900,000 jobs in the country.
Abbas who was represented by his deputy, Benjamin Kalu, said as Minister of Science, Technology, and Innovation, Dr. Onu’s contributions are well documented.
“This appointment allowed him to promote science, technology, and innovation at the highest policy level, leading to several significant achievements.
“For instance, the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) reported that he was instrumental to the creation of over 900,000 jobs and saved the country over N1 trillion through the reduction of imports of raw materials.
He stated that the policy of National Strategy for Competitiveness in Raw Materials which he initiated significantly improved the ranking of Nigeria according to the 2018-2019 assessment of the World Economic Forum.
“He also introduced the Annual Science and Technology Expo which brings together researchers, innovators, scientists, and entrepreneurs to engage one another. The objective is to stimulate effective mobilization and deployment of research findings for scientific production and commercialisation,” Abbas noted.