On Wednesday, President Muhammadu Buhari will be conferring a national honor of the Officer of the Federal Republic (OFR) on the Executive Vice Chairman (EVC) of the National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI), Engr. Prof. Mohammad Sani Haruna.
No doubt, NASENI has been one of the shining lights of the President Buhari administration, and the reasons are not far-fetched.
It has often been said that the quality and capacity of any head of any agency or commission will reflect on the performance of the organization.
This has been shown in NASENI, a little-known agency that has been described by President Buhari as one of his shining legacies.
It is instructive to note that, the conferment of national honor would be done exclusively for the NASENI boss ahead of the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting to be chaired by President Buhari at the Presidential Villa.
Incidentally, the Council meeting, according to the President, would be the last for the year.
Buhari’s decision to confer the national honor on the NASENI boss was announced during his address at the commissioning of the agency’s headquarters named: President Muhammadu Buhari Technology and Innovation Complex at Idu Industrial Zone, last week in Abuja.
Ahead of the OFR national honors to be conferred on Haruna, the President had earlier recommended him for an Excellence Service Award for driving the agency from the position of obscurity to the limelight.
The announcement of the honor and recommendation for the Excellence Service Award came to the NASENI boss as a surprise because the President was only scheduled to inaugurate the building.
Buhari, who is also the Chairman of NASENI, said he was impressed by the performance of the agency so far with what it has been able to achieve under his administration despite serious funding constraints; classifying the agency as one of the pivotal legacies his administration would bequeath to the next administration in 2023.
According to him, the agency, under Haruna’s leadership, has been repositioned to become a Technology and Innovation Hub for national development.
The President said “This is one pivotal legacy of this administration. With this complex and available facility, the future of our national competitiveness among global economies is promising. We are sure that these advanced Science and Engineering Core facilities will assist our nation in the attainment of Africa Union’s 2063 Agenda and United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals, 2030.”
Noting that the agency, created over 30 years ago, had been facing multifarious challenges making it perform below its potential in the past, the President said his administration was determined to reverse the trend.
He said, “NASENI has a long history of establishment and has been in existence for over 30 years now, but the agency has been facing so many challenges that were mitigating against the realisation of her full potential in line with the Act that established the Agency.”
He continued “under my Chairmanship, NASENI is undergoing a reinvention and transformation to become a Technology and Innovation Hub for our national development.
“Consequently, we have strategically repositioned NASENI to develop local capacity in machine building and fabrication, which is critical to Nigeria’s Industrial development.”
On why he was impressed by the Haruna’s leadership and resolved to surprise him with the award and honour, Buhari noted that NASENI has begun to domesticate foreign technologies and product development through backward integration, adding that “the recent attraction of 250 Czeck Koruna or $10.5 Million US Dollar Research and Development grant to Nigeria is evidence that our transformation is achieving results in building competitive Agency.”
Buhari who said that NASENI, under his watch as the Chairman, has lived up to its expectations and has performed well, added that the Agency has invented useful and historic intelligence and defense-related equipment and devices and has engineered, in collaboration with reputable organisations, Armoured Personnel Carrier with advanced features and Mine Resistant Ambushed Protected APC, among others.
He added that NASENI was advancing the Agricultural Self Sufficiency, Energy, Power, and Home Grown Technology Programmes of his Administration through its fabrication of machinery, equipment, and devices.
The president said the Agency “is currently implementing Smart Irrigation Projects for multi-crop season farming; the National Tractor Recovery, Rehabilitation, but and Redeployment Innovation, in collaboration with Nigeria Incentive-Based Risk Sharing System for Agricultural Lending,” stressing that the “assembly of two Helicopters towards first Made In Nigeria Helicopter and the development of Solar cells for 100%Solar Module production, using local raw materials are among patriotic contributions to Nigeria’s transition to a manufacturing economy.”
Buhari reiterated NASENI’s relevance as a critical agency towards the maintenance and sustainability of the nation’s infrastructure emphasizing that: “The present administration has invested heavily in diverse infrastructural facilities: in roads, rails, water, and aviation, among other sectors of our economy.
“After this administration, resourcing and sustainability of these critical infrastructures will present a challenge on the medium to long term basis.
“But with our deliberate repositioning NASENI to be at par with other similar agencies of government across the world and optimal performance, we are convinced that the future maintenance of our key national infrastructure is assured.”
“New NASENI is undoubtedly, among the most important legacy my administration is bequeathing to the next administration in 2023,” the President reaffirmed.
Responding to questions on the need to develop the nation’s capacity in research and development (R&D), especially as it concerns the production and adaptation of military hardwares, the Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Leo Irabor, acknowledged the efforts of NASENI in collaborating with the Nigeria Armed Forces in developing devices and machines for the use of the military.
Irabor confirmed that the military has been having inputs from NASENI in its fight against insurgency and protection of the nation’s territorial integrity.
This further confirmed that the surprise award and honours bestowed on Haruna were no flukes but in recognition of his tireless efforts in redirecting and reengineering NASENI with a view to deliverying the agency’s core mandates and place Nigeria on the global pedestal of competitive technology savvy nations.
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