UNLESS Nigeria reduces importation, its aspiration to rank among the world's 20 most developed countries by the year 2020 will be a mirage,Dr Mohammed Haruna has said.Haruna, who is the acting Director-General, National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI), sounded the warningin an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria on Wednesday in Abuja.He said that the world's leading democracies, as well as the world's leading economies today achieved such milestone because they were pioneers in Engineering, Science and Technology.The NASENI boss advised the Federal Government to emulate such countries by taking advantage of the vast opportunities in Science and Technology to solve Nigeria's socio-political and economic problems.According to Haruna, Nigeria must cease to be a consumer country, if it is to attain its vision 20:2020.'Nigeria has no option than to invest heavily in Science and Technology.'I always say that the government of Nigeria and the private sector in Nigeria are yet to start paying for research and development; are yet to start paying for science and technology.'The world leading democracies, the world leading economies are those that are all leaders in Engineering, Science and Technology.'If Nigeria continues to import all it needs, while it has the potential yet untapped, we will forever remain a consumer country and the dream we expect to realise by 2020 will remain a mirage,' he said.Haruna said NASENI had the capacity to fabricate machines or spare parts needed in Nigeria using reverse engineering process, adding that there was no need to continue to import the machines.called on the government and the private sector to invest in Science and Technology by looking inwards and sponsoring research and development.He said the private sector in Nigeria needed to be encouraged and to be made to realise the strategic advantage that would be open to it should it participate fully in research and development.He said NASENI was collaborating with various state governments for the establishment of an institute that would engage in machinery development through the fabrication of chemical equipment and spare parts.'We are working with Rivers State Government to ensure the take-off of chemical equipment and machinery development institute for fabrication of equipment, small tools and components needed in petro-chemical industries.'We are doing the same with Bauchi State Government. Bauchi State Government has ceded the old Steyr manufacturing facility toNASENI recently and with funding support for the take-off of the project,' he said.He said NASENI would promote indigenous design and fabrication of machines rather than importation of equipment produced abroad and difficult to maintain.
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