Buhari Awards Scholarship To 3 Science Students

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President Muhammadu Buhari Monday in Abuja granted full
scholarship up to the Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degree level to three
secondary students who emerged winners at the year 2020 Young Nigerian
Scientists Presidential Award Competition.

The scholarship is in any science-related discipline of
their choice at any university in the country.

Declaring open the 2020 Science, Technology and Innovation
Expo with the theme ”Enhancing The Growth Of A Diversified Economy Through
Science And Technology”, the President commended the creativity and
competitive spirit of the three young scientists who emerged tops in the
competition tagged 774 Young Nigerian Scientists Presidential Award (774
YONSPA).

The students are Masters Akintade Abdullahi Akanbi of Osun
State from Osogbo Government High School Osogbo, Osun State, who came first;
while the second positions went to Uwakwe Nelson Kamsiyochukwu of Anambra State
from British Spring College,  Awka and
Aimofumhe Eshiobomhe Sigmus of FCT from the School of the Gifted, Gwagwalada,
Abuja, respectively.

President Buhari noted that Nigeria’s greatest resource is
its human capital, assuring that his administration would continue to support
human resource development.

”This is richly embodied in our youth who make up tens of
millions of incredibly talented persons, constantly pushing and striving towards
greatness. The future of Nigeria belongs to our youth.

”This Administration will therefore continue to create the
enabling environment for them to develop to the fullest, their potentials.

”We will harness their energy and their talents to make
Nigeria achieve true greatness,” he said.

The President reiterated the commitment of the Federal
Government to partner with the private sector on science, technology and
innovation sector development towards ensuring that the sector plays the very
important role in advancing the frontiers of knowledge for nation building.

”Government will continually support the creation of
intervention funds to strengthen research and development, human capacity
building programmes and collaboration with the organized private sector.

”We will continue to work towards the realisation of the
National Research and Innovation Fund. I am aware, this Fund will help promote
research activities in our country,” he said.

The President, therefore, directed the ministers of science
and technology to create the needed opportunities to ensure that Nigerian
scientists work towards providing solutions to the nation’s challenges of
insecurity, unemployment, poverty, healthcare delivery and power, among others.

The President affirmed that if Nigerian potentials in the
Science and Technology Sector are properly harnessed, with the enabling
environment created, 100 million Nigerians will be taken out of poverty in the
next ten years.

”This remains my aim for Nigerians,” he stressed, noting
that Nigerians at home and abroad have always demonstrated remarkable ingenuity
and inventiveness and with the right environment, and policy framework, there
is no limit to how far Nigerian innovation can go.

”A prime example of an outstanding Nigerian is Mal. Jelani
Aliyu, who is now Director-General of the National Automatic Design and
Development Council.

”Malam Jelani designed the General Motors of America’s
leading auto brand the Chevrolet Volt. Now he is assuring Nigerians that all
the cars that took part in Argungu Motor Rally were assembled in Nigeria,” he
said.

In his remarks, the Minister of Science and Technology, Dr
Ogbonnaya Onu thanked the President for the many efforts in promoting STI,
including recognizing the sector as being at the centre of all economic
activities under the Economic Recovery and 
Growth Plan (ERGP) 2017-2020.

The Minister said in the last six months of the second term
of President Buhari, the STI sector helped create over 900,000 jobs while data
from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) show that Nigeria saved over N1
trillion in the importation of raw materials in both 2017 and 2018.

”The data for 2019 is yet to be released. Patents from
scientists and engineers, who passed through the National Office for Technology
Acquisition and Promotion (NOTAP), an agency under the supervision of the
Federal Ministry of Science and Technology, have continued to increase.

”In 2015, the first year of the Buhari administration, it
was only six. In 2016; it was 16, 50 in 2017, 55 in 2018 and 57 in 2019,” he
said.

As the Covid-19 crisis spreads across the globe, Dr Onu
declared that what is happening around the world is a wake-up call to intensify
efforts to manufacture goods locally and patronize made-in-Nigeria products.

”The Presidential Executive Order No. 5 and the National
Strategy for Competitiveness in Raw Materials and Product Development in the
country already passed by the Federal Executive Council will help in realizing
this noble objective,” he said.