From Sola Ojo, Kaduna
The Concerned Civil Society Organisations of Nigeria (CCSN) on Tuesday called on President Muhammadu Buhari to ignore calls by the governors to slash the grant of the National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI) from one per cent to 0.2 per cent.
The group called for the legal grant due to NASENI to be jacked up from the current one per cent to two per cent to help it cope with the current economic realities.
The group made the call in a joint statement by the representatives of five organisations which include President, Unified Nigerian Youth Forum, Abdulsalam Mohammed Kazeem, President, Arewa Youth Federation, Aliyu Mohammed Sani and Convener, South East Youths for Sustainable Growth and Development, Elizabeth L. Uche.
Others are Speaker, Oodua Youth Parliament, Abdulmajeed Oyeniyi and National Coordinator,
South Youth for Peace and stability, Gabriel Emmanuel Abela.
According to them, “our attention has been drawn to unsolicited advice the Nigeria Governor’s Forum gave to President Muhammadu Buhari led administration to reduce the one per cent (1%) Grant legally due to NASENI) to 0.2%.
“To set the record straight, Nigerian youths remain stakeholders in nation building. We are the trustees of our nation and we will actively engage in activities that promote unity, development and patriotism at all times.
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“Therefore, Nigerian youths have been taken aback by this unpatriotic call considering the strategic importance of the agency, established to stimulate linkages between Science and Technology, Academic and the Industrial sector on the one hand and the country’s economic and Industrial transformation on the other.
“We note that it is this mindset of the governors that made it almost impossible for both federal and state governments to resolve the lingering ASUU strike. IIt’sunfortunate that instead of looking at the merit of the research base and development-driven institutions, our governors seem to have been possessed by the love of money,” the statement read in part.
This group, however, “condemn the call in its entirety urging President Muhammadu Buhari to ensure that the grant is increased from the current 1% to 2% because NASENI actions towards science, innovation and technology are timely.
“We commend NASENI for designing the first made-in-Nigeria unmanned aerial vehicle, helicopter for agriculture and security surveillance, the role they played during COVID-19 in 2020 to date, Bringing Science, Technology and Innovation closer to the people and making it possible for mechanised Agriculture at our hands.
“We urge the National Assembly to throw out any bill that is aimed at reducing NASENI’s grant from 1% to 0.2% in appreciation of the agency efforts towards the spate of infrastructure, digital and technological development across the nation.”