From Charity Nwakaudu, Abuja
The Director-General of the Board of Nigerian Nuclear Regulatory Authority, Dr Yau Usman Idris, has called on Nigerian youths to engage themselves in the nuclear industry’s activities to help in tackling some basic challenges affecting the nation.
Dr Yau made this call when a group of young entrepreneurs, under the umbrella of the Nigerian Young Generation in Nuclear (NYGN) paid him a visit in his office in Abuja, yesterday.
He lamented that most people have misconceptions about what nuclear àctivities are all about and it is time to educate them on the importance of the industry.
The DG further assured the group of the total support of the agency to enable them to achieve their set goals.
The leader of the group, Jeremiah Mbazor, earlier in his remarks appreciated the DG and the entire agency for their outstanding contribution to the regulation of nuclear àctivities in the country.
He further invited the agency to the group’s nuclear walk that would be taking place in Abuja from June 17 to 18.
“The visit is to appreciate the Nigerian Nuclear Authority for its outstanding work in regulating nuclear activities in Nigeria and also urge him to do more with the hope that nuclear power plants would be deployed in Nigeria in no distant time.
“We are here to also invite the agency for a nuclear walk that would be coming up from the 17th to 18th of June, this month, here in Abuja.
“Through this walk, we are expecting that the government would be aware of Nigeria’s preparedness for the deployment of a nuclear power plant to meet up with her energy challenges, especially in electricity.
“It is time for nuclear regulatory activities to penetrate our borders and inner land and we cannot do this without strengthening our capacity. We, therefore, appeal to the government to approve all necessary laws that will empower the agency to perform its duties seamlessly.
“The need to include nuclear power in our energy mix cannot be overemphasized and it is important to highlight the important role of your organisation in ensuring a safe and secure deployment of this technology when the time comes. The training and retraining of staff and licensed facilities and personnel is an integral part of your agency which cannot be overlooked,” he said.