The Minister of State for Science, Technology and Innovation, Chief Henry Ikoh says Nigeria is doing reversed engineering to create jobs for the youths.
In an exclusive interview in Umuahia early Saturday morning, Ikoh said “What we are doing in science and technology is that we are moving from consumption economy to production economy through research and development.
“My ministry is basically breaking new grounds in making sure that we do a reverse engineering through PRODA, Enugu.
“PRODA is basically a place we are supposed to be manufacturing machineries. Over the years, that has not been done but right now, we are doing a reversed engineering so that we begin to produce those machineries that can give value in the agriculture sector particularly.
“Our agriculture is one basic place that if we deploy machineries, can give value chains to most of our products.
“Like cassava now, we are coming to see how we can use cassava to produce flours to ensure that, bread which is the common food of every common man gets to the table of Nigerians with good price.
“When we do that, our youths who are not employed now will be gainfully employed in this sector”.
Commenting on the Nigeria Information and Technology sector, the Minister noted, “In our ICT sector, we are collaborating with the international community to be a centre of excellence in the six geo-political zones of the nation.
“Then before now, our wielders have never been certified locally. We are laying pipes through the Sahara Desert to Angola and that is costing about $13 trillion.
“The only way Nigerian youths can be employed is if they have certification in wielding activities. That we have gotten through Federal Executive Council, that we must begin to certify our wielders, leveraging on the presidential understanding which stipulates that any work Nigerians can do , we will not allow foreigners to do that”.
Before now he said, wielders in the oil sector are being considered mainly from people from Philippines and other countries because of their certification, thereby “denying our youths the opportunity of being gainfully employed in the oil sector particularly.
“It is certification now that we are embarking on. We cannot allow foreigners to take their job because they will be certified.
“So, that is to say that we will no longer be a consuming nation. We have to be a production-oriented nation so that we can export most of the things we produce here.
“By so doing, our youths will be gainfully employed.
“So, there is hope that for our youths moving forward, they will be leveraging on science and technology”.
PRODA he also said is being repositioned to do with reverse engineering, and making sure it produces the machineries we need, particularly in agriculture sector.
He assured Nigeria youths “Nigeria will be great again, Nigeria will be better again.
“Nigeria must remain afloat in Africa to rise from consumption to production.
“We are commercializing Nigeria to bring about innovation”.
Projects Development Agency, PRODA Enugu is under the Federal Ministry of Science and Technology.
