Samuel Bello
The Federal Government has re-appointed Prof. Mohammed Haruna as Executive Vice Chairman of National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI) for a second tenure of five years.
Deputy Director Information and Protocol of the agency, Mr. Olusegun Ayeoyenikan, made this known in a statement, on Thursday, in Abuja.
The agency faced internal crisis following the delay by President Muhammadu Buhari in deciding the tenure of Prof. Haruna.
Haruna, who was received in the agency by the outgoing acting Executive Vice Chairman of the Agency, Aliyu Adnan, amidst jubilation by friends, staff, Union members, affirmed his determination to make more impacts on indigenous development of industrial tools and machine parts, which will be recognised not only in Nigeria, but globally.
According to him, what was paramount for all employees of NASENI including himself was to move the agency forward and to make it not only a hub for technological development but also a take-off house for industrial revolution for the country.
He lamented that the major challenge the agency is facing now is the inability of Nigerians to generally believe in Made-In-Nigeria technologies or products.
The EVC said,: “Although what transpired in the agency in the last few weeks was an embarrassing situation which portrayed the agency to the world in bad light, but that incident was now history.
“We are even more determined to make more impacts on indigenous development of industrial tools and machine parts which will be recognized not only in Nigeria but the whole world”.
He avowed that NASENI was more determined more than ever to thrive on technological advancement, adding that the agency would focus more on things that would transform the rural areas and SMEs.
He, however, appealed to the entire staff and management of the Agency to join hands with him in moving the agency to greater heights. He also urged all aggrieved persons to bury their hatchets and embrace peace for the betterment of the nation.
Is it not a travesty to have same person (of Northern Extraction) re-appointed as the Executive Vice Chairman a second time? What is the criteria for this re-appointment if not for politics? What was achieved in his first tenure? No personal grudge against the professor whose credentials is somewhat intimidating i.e. having achieved Engineering Fellowship Status with UK Engineering Council and a member of Nigeria COREN – but the question remains what and where are the goals achieved during his tenure? How have we -particularly in the North witnessed some fit in technology, how many more Engineering workshops, Industries and products have we had in the entire North all these years that he has been in that position? Needless to say, in the South, there are qualified Engineers (more and less qualified than the Prof)but we see glaring achievements in productive e.g. Automobile Engineering, in the South West, we see glaring productive infrastructural Engineering, in the middle belt, we see glaring productive agro allied Engineering – the list goes on -save for the North. Why cant we test productive hands from these other regions of the country for efficient delivery of Engineering services to the nation? Must everything circle around nepotism and senile politicking?