The Coalition of Civil Society Groups on Efficiency in Governance (CiSGEG), led by Empowerment for Unemployed Youth Initiative (EUYI) has Urged support for the National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI) to accelerate industrialisation, create jobs and revamp the Nigerian economy.
The coalition lauded the giant strides of NASENI under Khalil Suleiman Halilu, the executive vice chairman/chief executive officer (CEO).
The coalition said Halilu had consciously aligned the agency through his innovative ideas with the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration.
At a press conference in Abuja yesterday, the executive director, Empowerment for Unemployed Youth Initiative (EUYI), Comrade Danesi Momoh, who doubled as the chairman of the coalition, underscored the need for Nigerians not to lose hope but continue to support government agencies and policies for optimum performance.
He said, “It is true that most government agencies are not delivering up to the expectations of Nigerians but we must not give up. Our support and collaboration are very important, not just as civil society organisations but also as individuals. We must not generalise but painstakingly ascertain which agencies are working and those that are drawing us back. It is our duty to support those who are working and expose those clogging the wheels of national development,” he said.
Momoh added that NASENI under Halilu had witnessed uncommon transformation and had become a good example of the few agencies that were working to alleviate the hardship and pains of Nigerians.
The coalition boss recalled that the core mandate of NASENI is to promote technological advancement and industrialisation in Nigeria, claiming that it was a mirage until about 15 months ago when Halilu assumed office and swung into action, bringing an unparallelled vigour to the agency and matching policy with actions towards enhanced industrialisation.
Mooh said the agency CEO understands his assignment to reposition Nigeria as a powerhouse of science, technology and innovation in the global scene.
According to him, Halilu has built a 21st Century institution founded on the principles of creation, collaboration and commercialisation, thereby, converting scientific knowledge and skills available to support and advance Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs). He asserted that NASENI had become a centre of Nigeria’s industrialisation and job creation drive, bolstering economic activities and contributing to the GDP.
“Also, the vision to reposition the agency towards the achievement of its mandate led to the development of a four- pillar strategic launch pad based on Rapid Innovation, Knowledge Sharing, Local Material Leverage and Commercialisation. These pillars are said to serve as the agency’s compass in navigation its course,” he said.
“In order to unlock energy and natural resources, he has established Nigeria’s biggest Auto Conversion and Reverse Engineering Centre in Abuja (with a plan to replicate the same in 36 states of the federation) and also attracted $150 million investment for battery factory manufacturing plant,” Momoh asserted.
