Industry ministry lauds ABU's knowledge sharing effort

The Honourable Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Chief Otunba Adeniyi Adebayo, CON, has lauded Ahmadu Bello University for its interest and passion for national development.

Speaking at a workshop on ‘Academia-Industry Alliance for Effluent Management with Biocoagulants in Nigerian Oil and Gas Industries’ organized by the University on Tuesday, the Minister said that the workshop was an addition to the accomplishment of the drive to create a sustainable platform for knowledge sharing.

Funded by the Royal Academy of Engineering, London, United Kingdom under the Higher Education Partnership in Sub-Saharan Africa, the workshop was part of the research effort to, among others, develop a bio-based flocculation system for oil and water treatment in oil and gas industries.

The Minister, who was represented by Mrs. Patience Ehujor, a Deputy Director in the Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment, also said that the workshop was in line with the economic diversification drive of the present administration’s effort which seeks to develop, particularly, the non-oil sector by boosting production and processing, encouraging value addition, wealth and job creation.

“It is common knowledge that information dissemination between academic institutions and industries is critical for the development of innovative ideas and projects that would contribute positively towards a sustainable economy and better livelihood for the population.

“That is why the Federal Government at all levels is committed to drive initiatives of industrialization and diversification as articulated in the Economic Recovery and Growth Plan (ERGP) and Nigerian Industrial Revolution Plan (NIRP)”, he said.

He said it was encouraging that the reality that unquantifiable wealth lays within the sector, and that aggressive financing of research and investment in the sector was, therefore, critical in order to advance the quest for sustainable economic development in Nigeria.

The Minister further stated that collaboration with industry was critical for academia to create scientific knowledge and obtain industrial data and vice-versa.

“Therefore, for the economy to achieve greater growth in the future, the financial industry must be encouraged to serve the real sectors of the economy while corporate bodies should be encouraged to serve the real sectors of the economy while corporate bodies should be encouraged with favourable government policies to give entrepreneurs the impetus to thrive through increased patronage”, Otunba Adebayo said.

He explained that government, in this connection, was building partnership with banks, non-governmental organisations, donor agencies and research organizations to mitigate some of these challenges that currently affect industrialists.

The Minister expressed confidence that the outcome of the workshop would, no doubt, stimulate investment across different sectors of the economy which would chart a sustainable course towards increased productivity.

In his remarks, the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Kabiru Bala, congratulated the researchers who won the grants from the Royal Academy of Engineering, London, United Kingdom, to conduct research on effluent management with bio-coagulant in Nigerian oil and gas industries.

The Vice-Chancellor stressed that attracting grants remained a thing of joy in the academia, given that such grants were highly competitive and only the best research proposals could win.

Prof. Bala expressed gratitude to the Honourable Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Otunba Adeniyi Adebayo, for the keynote address at the workshop.

The occasion was chaired by the Provost, Airforce Institute of Technology, Prof. Muhammad Dauda, who in his address, explained the significance of knowledge sharing.

The Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) made a presentation at the workshop. The presentation was made by Engineer. S. Yusuf, Zonal Operations Controller, DPR, Kaduna Zone, on behalf of the Director, Engr. Sarki Auwalu.

Project Coordinator, Higher Education Partnership in Sub-Saharan Africa (HEPSSA), Dr. M.U. Kaisan, who gave an overview of the research project, called for the establishment of a waste management centre by Ahmadu Bello University.

A total of 15 research papers were presented at the workshop’s technical session declared open by the Head, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Prof. D.M. Kulla.