NASENI TAKES SUSTAINABLE EMPOWERMENT PROGRAMME TO OHAFIA.
The National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI) has taken its Sustainable Empowerment Programme (NSEP) to Ohafia, Abia State, to equip residents with tools and technologies aimed at improving productivity, creating livelihoods and promoting grassroots economic development.
The Executive Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of NASENI, Mr. Khalil Suleiman Halilu, stated this on Thursday at the Abia edition of the programme held at Uma Ukpai Memorial Primary School, Asaga, Ohafia, where beneficiaries received support to enhance their productive capacity.
Halilu said the programme was designed to take science, technology and engineering directly to the people by providing them with relevant skills, tools and technologies to build sustainable livelihoods and contribute to Nigeria’s innovation-driven economy.
He said NASENI was determined to bring NSEP to Ohafia despite the challenges involved, stressing that the intervention reflected the agency’s commitment to translating research and innovation into practical solutions that improve lives and strengthen communities.
According to him, Abia was particularly strategic because of its reputation for enterprise, creativity and manufacturing, as well as the determination of its people to create value.
He said the qualities aligned with NASENI’s strategic direction of creation, collaboration and commercialisation, noting that the agency was moving away from research for its own sake to developing solutions that could be used by individuals, adopted by businesses and scaled by industries.
Halilu urged beneficiaries to regard the support as an investment in their productive capacity rather than a handout, charging them to use it responsibly to improve their livelihoods, create value and provide opportunities for others.
He said NASENI would measure the success of its interventions by their impact, including the number of lives improved, businesses strengthened, jobs supported and communities made more productive.
The NASENI boss commended Dr. Armstrong Ume for his support and hospitality, saying his contribution was instrumental to the success of the programme in Abia.
He assured Nigerians that NASENI would continue to take the programme to different parts of the country to ensure that the benefits of science, engineering and innovation reached more people.
Speaking at the event, the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Ministry of Finance Incorporated (MOFI), Dr. Armstrong Ume, commended President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Abia State Governor, Dr. Alex Otti, for their commitment to infrastructure development and community empowerment.
Ume also praised President Tinubu for appointing Halilu as NASENI’s chief executive, describing him as possibly the youngest person to occupy the position since the agency’s establishment.
Welcoming the delegation to Asaga, which he described as the “land of warriors,” Ume said the people of Ohafia were highly entrepreneurial but needed greater access to science and technology to improve their businesses and productivity.
He disclosed that the school facility where the event took place was secured through the opportunity given to him to serve under President Tinubu, adding that the school would be commissioned at a later date.
He said Governor Otti had indicated his intention to attend the commissioning.
Ume also highlighted other development initiatives in the community, including solar home systems for beneficiaries and a digital learning centre.
He said Governor Otti had expressed commitment to working with the Rural Electrification Agency to expand electricity access in rural communities.
He further disclosed that he facilitated the visit of a team from the Presidential Initiative on Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) and electric vehicles to Abia, with plans for the commissioning of buses, cars and CNG-related projects in Umuahia in the coming weeks.
Ume stressed that public service should be about using opportunities and access to improve communities rather than pursuing personal benefits.
Meanwhile, the Director-General of the Greater Ohafia Development Authority, Engr. Obinna Odum, pledged the authority’s readiness to partner with NASENI to expand NSEP and extend its benefits to more residents across Abia.
Odum commended NASENI for the intervention and appealed for stronger collaboration between the agency and the Abia State Government to replicate the programme across the state’s 17 local government areas.
He expressed confidence that with the support of stakeholders, the partnership would create greater opportunities for residents and contribute to the economic development of the state.
