June 27, (THEWILL) – The Federal Government has designed a mechanism to ensure and evaluate compliance with Executive Order Five (EO5) for planning and execution of projects and promotion of Nigerian content in the contract of science, engineering and technology.
The Minister for Science and Technology, Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu, made this known at the academy technology dinner/lecture, organised by the Nigerian Academy of Engineering in Lagos.
He said the Order, which has been gazetted, would help in boosting the level of local content in engineering procurement in the country.
He explained that President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration has through initiative and arrowhead of the ministry been providing the enabling environment to ensure a shift from commodity-based to the knowledge-based economy for sustainable national development.
Onu, said the government has driven the number of registered intellectual properties from 6 in 2015 to 184 in 2019, evidence of increasing innovation and an instrument for potential job creation and economic empowerment.
“A mechanism has been set up to ensure and evaluate compliance to this Order by MDAs, organised private sector and all other stakeholders,” he said.
Onu disclosed that the President Buhari through the Vice President has announced that 0.5 per cent of GDP, would be allocated to research and innovation to accelerate sustainable national development.
Speaking on the technical title of the yearly lecture, “H20, The Peculiar Features of Earth’s Most Abundant Compound,” guest speaker, Professor Sam Adefila, urged the Federal, states and local governments to deploy technologies for the exploration of abundant water resources for sufficiency in water supply in the country.
Adefila said: “We can always extract water from underground. The amount of water provided by nature is enough for us to use. We must find a way to resolve the challenge of water supply by using technologies. All that is needed is the political will to explore the technologies, as well as the enabling environment for the private sector to thrive.”
The forum, which attracted notable stakeholders of the engineering profession in Nigeria, recognised the Energy Commission of Nigeria, Nigerian Communications Commission, Federal Ministry of Science and Technology, Professor Ayodele Ogunye Trust Foundation, Dr. Joseph Shobi Foundation, among others, with the presentation of awards for support for the academy.
About the Author
