…project ‘ll create 100,000 jobs, Oyebanji assures

The President of Nigeria, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu has hailed the Governor of Ekiti State, Mr Biodun Oyebanji, for sustaining and promoting the spirit behind the concept of Ekiti Knowledge Zone(EKZ), saying the project has a good prognosis of becoming a viable Nigeria’s hub of Innovations, research and skill development in the future.

The President described Ekiti as the home of scholars and posited that the EKZ, as a state government propelled investment, is capable of radicalising the potentials of talented Nigerians and serve as a launchpad for their relevance at the global stage.

The President spoke on Tuesday, during the turning of the sod for the Ekiti Knowledge Zone located at Ago Araromi in Ado Ekiti, the Ekiti State Capital.

The President, who was represented by the Vice President, Senator Kashim Shettima, said education remained the most viable inheritance of Ekiti people and commended Governor Oyebanji for demonstrating visionary leadership in governing the State through strategic alliances with critical stakeholders.

Describing the EKZ project as a masterpiece, the President said it was in alignment with Singaporean vision that any economy can be unlocked through education and technological innovation, assuring Governor Oyebanji and the entire citizens of the federal Government’s support to make the project thrive.

“Under President Tinubu’s administration, we are gradually moving from dependency to sustainability and self sufficiency. We are determined to encourage research, innovation and technological development to create jobs for our teeming youths.

“We are focused about this and I thank Governor Biodun Oyebanji for his leadership and initiative”.

Also speaking at the event , Governor Oyebanji revealed that the Ekiti Knowledge Zone was conceptualised to unlock the hidden potentials of Ekiti citizens and make the state the frontliner in skill, innovation, research and human capital development worldwide.

The governor said Ekiti has been known to be intellectual hub and for having the highest number of Professors in the country, who deserves serious attention in the area of innovation.

He added that the project commenced August 12, 2013 under Governor Kayode Fayemi-led government, with the intention to build the potentials of Ekiti citizens.

Oyebanji stated that he decided to sustain the EKZ in demonstration of the continuity agenda of his government as well as making significant investment in technology, industrial development, healthcare , research, science and innovation, and many other pivotal areas of the economy that would make Ekiti epicentre of development .

“This project is part of the 30 years Development Plan of this administration in its efforts to unlock the economic potentials of our state. And we are happy that we had been able to raise $80 million financial capital through the federal government and African Development Bank. We appreciate President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and AfDB for approving the deal.

“You could all remember that that the EKZ was designated as a Free Trade Zone by the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari. This EKZ is not only going to be the giant of innovation in Africa, but it represents a world class economic ecosystem that will serve as a catalyst for industrial development, innovation, job creation, opportunities for technology driven industries and skill acquisition platform.

“I am glad to inform you that the first phase when fully completed, over 20,000 jobs will be created in line with the local contents policy of our administration, while the entire phases is to generate about 100,000 jobs covering areas like research, science, technology, industry and education development”.

The Chief Executive Officer of CCECC, the contractor handling the project, Eric Shem, applauded the federal, state and African Development Bank for their partnership, saying their lofty contributions demonstrated how committed they are to the development of the human capital in the country.

Shem said the programme will change the future of the country by attracting investments and build the human capital, assuring that the project will be completed in record time to create employment opportunities and to meet other demands.

High profile figures at the ceremony were: the Governor of Ondo State, Mr. Lucky Ayedatiwa, Ekiti State Deputy Governor, Mrs Monisade Afuye, Senate Leader, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele, Speaker of the House of Assembly, Rt Hon Adeoye Aribasoye, former Governor Segun Oni, Senator Cyril Fasuyi, Special Adviser to the President on Political Matters, Hon Ibrahim Masari, the Onijan of Ijan Ekiti, Oba Adebanji Aladesuyi, commissioners, Special Advisers, political and community leaders, among others.

The Deputy Governor of Edo State, Philip Shaibu, has been denied access to his old office at the Government House in Benin, the state capital.

Shaibu arrived at the Government House on Monday morning but met the gate leading to his office under lock and key.

He says he has yet to receive a formal letter from the governor’s office and that, according to him, is the proper channel to transmit a directive pertaining to the relocation to a new office

“Up till now, I don’t have any official communication that I should relocate. The only people that have official communication are my civil servants. The civil servants have official communication but I don’t. As I am speaking to you now, I am standing by the gate,” he said while on a phone call to a yet-to-be-identified person.

The Edo State Governor has not reacted to the development, but sources close to him say Shaibu has relocated his office to a new location outside of the Government House and was not expected at the old office.

They also explained that there was no meeting scheduled for Monday so the Deputy Governor was not expected at the Government House.

If a meeting had been scheduled, they said arrangements would have been made and the Deputy Governor would have been allowed to attend.

Last week, a letter said to be from the office of the Head of Service, Anthony Okungbowa, was reported to have been sent to the Permanent Secretary, Office of the Deputy Governor directing Shuaibu to relocate to a new office situated at No 7, Dennis Osadebey Avenue, GRA, Benin City.

However, sources close to Edo’s number two citizen claimed that the new office is abandoned and in dire need of rehabilitation.

Director- General of National Centre for Technology Management, (NACETEM), Dr John Omimakinde said with Science, Technology and Innovations (STI), Nigeria can transform from over dependence on oil revenue to a diversified economy.

Omimakinde said this at the 2023 STI Expo in Abuja on Wednesday.

He said that, if the STI sector was well harnessed, it would be a panacea to a strongly diversified Nigeria economy.

” For decades, scholars, policy makers, academics and practitioners have been engaged in heated debates that Nigeria’s development challenge is the ‘oil curse’.

“It is believed that the bane of development is the over dependence on a mono-product, crude oil.

“Recent happenings in the country have shown that Nigeria’s major development challenge is not the ‘oil curse’, but of not achieving economic diversification beyond it’s dependence on oil revenue,” Omimakinde said.

The NACETEM D-G confirmed that successive governments had looked beyond oil by shifting their attention to areas such as agriculture and the informal sector, among others, which yielded substantial results.

Omimakinde acknowledged that actualising the objective of successfully diversifying Nigeria’s economy beyond what was presently operational required looking in the direction of STI.

“NACETEM as a foremost knowledge support and policy research institution is convinced that the current STI policy can put us in the right direction.

“All we need to achieve sustainable development and diversification of Nigeria’s economy is contained therein, but it appears we have not fully deployed it appropriately.

“This has to change as implementing the STI policy as reviewed in 2022 will set Nigeria on the path of wealth,” he said.

Mrs Monilola Udoh, Permanent Secretary of the STI Ministry, assured that President Muhammadu Buhari had reaffirmed his commitment to his pledge allocating 0.5 per cent of GDP to funding research and innovations.

She said the Federal Government was actually funding researches which are domiciled in the ministry.

Udoh decried the lack of synergy among research institutes and others.

She also said: ”There were duplications of research works being carried out,” and urged for adequate communications, collaborations and cooperation among government agencies for value addition.

Mr Haastrup Olatunji, Chairman of NACETEM Governing Board, corroborated that Nigeria ran a mono-cultural economy as 85 per cent of her revenue was derived from oil and gas export.

He said: ”Naysayers may see that as not being good because of perceived neglect of other sectors of the economy.

“It is important to stress that lamenting the situation will bring us no good

“Rather, thinking through how to better the lot of Nigeria is what we require.

“STI is relevant to all sectors of the economy, it is an enabler of rapid growth and development,”Olatunji said.(NAN)