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Tag: Godswill Akpabio

  • Khalil Halilu Honoured with Distinguished Award for Engineering and Industrial Innovation at NEAPS 2024

    Khalil Halilu Honoured with Distinguished Award for Engineering and Industrial Innovation at NEAPS 2024

    The Executive Vice Chairman/CEO of the National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI), Mr. Khalil Suleiman Halilu, has been honoured with the distinguished award for Engineering and Industrial Innovation at the 2nd edition of the Nigeria Excellence Awards in Public Service (NEAPS).

    The award which was presented by the Vice President, Sen. Kashim Shettima, GCON on behalf of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu GCFR, underscores Mr. Halilu’s stellar performance and transformational leadership during his first year in office.

    The presentation ceremony, held at the Banquet Hall of the Presidential Villa, Abuja, on Saturday, July 6th, 2024, aimed to celebrate outstanding public servants who have made significant contributions to the nation’s development.

    Mr Halilu’s recognition is a testament to his unwavering commitment to making NASENI a hub of technology transfer and innovation not only in Nigeria but across Africa.

    Under Halilu’s leadership, NASENI has witnessed transformational reforms to foster technological advancements and industrial growth. His visionary approach has driven the agency to new heights, with key initiatives that have positioned NASENI as a leading hub for innovation and proven Nigeria’s manufacturing capabilities.

    These efforts have included developing cutting-edge technologies, promoting sustainable industrial practices, and fostering strategic partnerships with leading industry players to enhance Nigeria’s competitive edge in the global market.

    In his acceptance speech, Mr. Halilu expressed his gratitude to President Tinubu, Vice President Shettima, and the entire NASENI team. He emphasized that this recognition is a collective achievement, reflecting the hard work and dedication of everyone at NASENI.

    “This award is a recognition of our commitment to advancing engineering and industrial innovation in Nigeria. It is a testament to the efforts of the entire NASENI team, and I am deeply honored to accept it on their behalf,” Mr. Halilu stated.

    The award not only highlights Mr. Halilu’s contributions over the past year but also sets a benchmark for future endeavours aimed at driving technological and industrial innovation in Nigeria and beyond.

    NASENI remains committed to its mission of fostering sustainable development through technological innovation, and this award is a strong validation of its ongoing efforts to make a lasting impact on the nation’s industrial landscape.

    Also, other eminent Nigerians, who received the award were: General Abdulsalami Abubakar, Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Tajudeen Abbas, Chief of Staff to the President, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, former and serving Governors, Ministers, Lawmakers, and Head of Government MDAs among others.

  • Tinubu Directs MDAs to Patronise NASENI Technologies and Products

    Tinubu Directs MDAs to Patronise NASENI Technologies and Products

    President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has directed Federal Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) in the country to patronise technologies and products of the National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI) to support Made-in-Nigeria goods and reduce importation.

    The President, represented by the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, made the declaration while commissioning NASENI-Portland Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) Conversion, Filling, Reverse Engineering and Training Centre in Utako, Abuja on Friday, May 31, 2024.

    President Bola Tinubu who doubles as Chairman, the NASENI Governing Board, said he is aware that the Agency is in collaboration with private sector players in the commercialisation of its products, noting that the Presidential CNG Initiative (PCNGi), which NASENI has keyed into is the way to tap into Nigeria’s abundant gas resources and to also attain cleaner energy.

    Furthermore, he said the use of CNG-powered transportation would reduce pressure on foreign exchange, save money for vehicle owners by converting fuel-emitting vehicles to CNG. He equally lauded the Agency for working with private sector collaborators in the effort to establish lithium ore processing plant in the country to produce lithium battery for electric vehicles.  

    Earlier in his welcome address, the Executive Vice Chairman/CEO of NASENI, Khalil Suleiman Halilu, said the NASENI-Portland CNG Conversion and Training Centre, a partnership between NASENI and Portland Gas Limited, is a state-of-the-art facility for the conversion of fossil fuel vehicles to CNG, a cleaner and more cost-effective alternative.

    He said this facility can convert 15 cars every two hours, translating into an output of 2,700 conversions every month.  “Mr. President, by our calculations, if Nigeria is able to have 10 of this kind of facility in each of the 36 States and the FCT, we will be able to convert every vehicle in the country to CNG within one year”, he said.

    He urged the President to give NASENI approval to convert all the vehicles in the State House fleet to CNG. “We are asking for your approval to do this, and showcase our capabilities. Second, we are offering to carry out CNG conversions for every Ministry, Department and Agency of the Federal Government at a cost.

    Equally, to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Halilu said NASENI is willing to make available to its contractors NASENI’S CNG generators, for the purpose of test-running the lighting project on Bill Clinton Drive (the highway leading to the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport) to encourage them to purchase the Agency’s streetlights for the project.

    Good will messages poured in from the Minister of Petroleum (Gas), Epkerikpo Ekpo; Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris Malagi; Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation, Uche Nnaji; Chairman, Senate Committee on NASENI, Senator Ezenwa Francis Onyewuchi; and Chairman, House Committee on NASENI, Hon. Taofik Ajilesoro.

     The NASENI-Portland CNG Conversion and Training Centre, equipped with the latest technology and staffed with trained professionals to ensure efficient and safe conversions, aims to build local capacity and domesticate CNG technology.

     It offers comprehensive training programmes for technicians, engineers, and other stakeholders, fostering domestication of expertise in CNG systems and promoting the adoption of green energy solutions across the nation.

     The NASENI initiative is expected to significantly reduce vehicular emissions, contributing to cleaner air and a healthier environment. Additionally, the adoption of CNG will offer economic benefits by reducing fuel costs for consumers and creating new job opportunities and technical expertise in Nigeria’s green energy sector.

  • Akpabio, Abbas, Nweke, for public presentation of Omoniyi Ibietan’s book on Cyber Politics

    Akpabio, Abbas, Nweke, for public presentation of Omoniyi Ibietan’s book on Cyber Politics

    The President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio; the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas; a former Minister of Information and Communication, Frank Nweke Jr., are among the dignitaries expected at the Tuesday, July 25 public presentation of a book written by Omoniyi Ibietan, the head of media relations at the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC).

    While Mr Akpabio will serve as the special guest of honour at the event scheduled for the main auditorium of the Communications and Digital Economy Complex, Mbora District, Abuja, Mr Abbas will attend the ceremony as the guest of honour. 

    Mr Nweke, the Enugu State governorship candidate of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) in the last elections, will chair the event. The book’s author was Mr Nweke’s special assistant on media during his ministerial term.

    Among several other dignitaries expected at the event are the immediate past Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Awwal Gambo (rtd); the Special Adviser to the President on Policy Coordination, Hadiza Bala Usman; the founder of Agora Policy Think Tank and former Executive Secretary of the Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI), Waziri Adio; the Executive Director, Centre for Democracy and Development, Idayat Hassan; the Chief Executive Officer, Premium Times Group, Dapo Olorunyomi; the Deputy Dean, School of Postgraduate School, Baze University, Prof Abiodun Adeniyi; and the Executive Director, CARE International, Dr Hussaini Abdu.

    Published by Premium Times Books, the publishing arm of the Premium Times Group, the book, “Cyber Politics: Social Media, Social Demography and Voting Behaviour in Nigeria”, has been described as a classic offering with significant implications for political communication scholarship and practice.

    The book has been adjudged to have an interesting universe that uses the Nigerian election to determine how social media communication influences a cocktail of “five electoral totems: voting behaviour, the social and demographic correlation, comparative social media network with respect to the effectiveness of influences, motivation of social media influencers, and stimulus-response likely to enhance the quality of electoral democracy.”

    Umar Danbatta, a professor and executive vice chairman and chief executive officer of the Nigerian Communications Commission, where the author works, will present the book to the public. Azubuike Ishiekwene, renowned journalist, writer and editor-in-chief of Leadership Newspaper, will review the 460-page book, spread over 12 chapters.

    The event will also feature a panel discussion to dissect the interface of politics and social technology, how they shaped the last two general elections in Nigeria, and the possible implications of cyber politics in future elections.

    The book has been available in hardback and softback versions in bookstores across the country since 12 June 2023. The electronic copies of the book can also be purchased on online platforms, including Amazon.