Minister of Science and Technology Dr Ogbonnaya Onu on Friday commissioned a N50 million chemical engineering laboratory at the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University (ATBU) Bauchi which was upgraded by the National Office forTechnology Acquisition and Promotion (NOTAP) and PZ Nigeria PLC.
The minister during the commissioning ceremony hailed NOTAP and PZ Nigeria PLC for the gesture saying it would boost practicals in the institution and enhance productivity among students.
He opined that the future of the country is bright with science and technology calling on university students to be innovative.
According to the minister, no country can be great when without embracing science and technology saying the vision of the federal government is to make a Nigerian university among the top 100 in the world.
Also speaking, the Director General NOTAP, Dr Dan’azumi Mohammed Ibrahim explained that the office is one of the 17 parastatals of the federal ministry of science and technology with the mandate of regulating the inflow of foreign technology into the country.
He added that the other mandates are to encourage and promote the development of locally generated technologies.
In his remarks, the Chief Executive Officer of PZ Cussons Nigeria PLC Mr Christos Giannopoulos said the project is part of their corporate social responsibility.
He said the mission is to upgrade chemical laboratory facilities in Nigerian universities in order to create enabling environment for quality scientific research.
The PZ CEO noted that the company has executed similar projects in Midibbo Adama University of Technology, Yola, University of Calabar, National Research Institute for Chemical Technology, Zaria and Federal University of Technology Ndufu, Ebonyi state.
The Vice Chancellor of the university Professor Muhammadu Ahmad Abdulazeez represented by a Deputy Vice Chancellor Professor Ibrahim Hassan Garba expressed appreciation to NOTAP and PZ Nigeria PLC for upgrading the laboratory.
The Vice Chancellor said with the recent discovery of oil in Bauchi State, the laboratory will enable them participate fully in the petroleum industry.
