… As agency collaborates with Military hardware fabrication, tech. transfer

By Emmanuel Elebeke

The Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA)  has presented the required certification to the National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI) for the first made-in-Nigeria non-commercial helicopter been constructed by the agency. 

 The Executive Vice Chairman of NASENI, Prof. Mohammed Sani Haruna, disclosed this  when Director General, Defence Research and Development Bureau (DRDB), Air Vice Marshal, Ubrufih Uzezi paid an official visit to the agency’s headquarters in Abuja on Tuesday.

 He said the certification certifies NASENI  for assembling  and maintenance of non-commercial helicopters in the country.

Earlier in his address, Air Vice Marshal Uzezi  said the essence of the visit was to seek the support of the National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI) on manufacturing of locally made weapons to pursue the fight against insurgency.

 He stated that the technological challenges in military operations has made it necessary to look inward for the production of warfare equipments, noting that the bureau has a mandate to locally develop and deliver cutting edge war fighting technologies for the armed forces.

According to him,  the supports were needed in area of  military research and development such: as conduct of reverse engineering, identifying subject matter experts both within and outside Nigeria, solar energy, Artificial Intelligence and fabrication of components.

 ‘‘This collaboration is very important because NASENI is about research and production, we are also for research  as well as development. The capacity and competencies they have are things we can leverage on to get our own research effort, especially in military technology development.

‘‘There are a lot they have already done and we see it as a motivation, even in military technology. We must know that research in military technology has a lot of spinoff in civil use and those are part of the areas that we working together can adapt some of the things they are doing and they can also benefit from what we are doing.

‘‘ They also have competencies in personnel, qualified Nigerians   from the academia that we can leverage on  to guide our processes.

‘‘We are also going to collaborate in the area of helicopter manufacturing. They have build lots and flight  vehicles, we are working with Air Force Research Centres this moment  and also space research  and now,  NASENI to bring  what they have  to what we have to move our research efforts forward.’’

Also speaking,  the NASENI EVC said president Muhammadu Buhari had directed the agency to work closely with security agencies in areas of manufacturing warfare equipments.

‘‘The collaboration has facilitated our mandate.  As a research and development organization, if we do not work with other agencies, especially formidable ones, we would not know what is needed to do need oriented research.  And then we learn from them, use their own facilities they use our own that are the best way to move the agency forward.’’

He said, though, funding is everybody challenge, in Nigeria ‘‘we have not yet commenced payment for research and development. That is our problem, elsewhere they have unlimited funding, a generous percentage of GDP of the government. ‘’

‘‘The reason why we continuously import, look  for outside for help  for things we have capacity and competence to do  is because we are not investing in research.’’

For him, NASENI is hopeful because the President has directed  the Ministry of Finance, Budget and  National Planning to commence remittances of NASENI Fund as well as FIRS.

He said these funds once realized is not for the benefit of NASENI alone, but for other partners across the nation, saying that the agency will do better if it is financially viable.

‘‘Despite the challenges of the nation, some of our researchers contribute from their  little salary to ensure that the target we set for ourselves  is done. The funds approved by the president are yet to reach us,’’ he said.

On  the 0.5% R&D fund approved by the President, the NASENI boss said, ‘‘it is just the starting. That is goodwill because it was not in existence before. But it is a good starting, needed. What the nation need  is much more than that compared  to sister African  countries who are contributing more than that and the giant of Africa should do more than that.’’