*Nigerians say development ray of hope for nation
By Bashir Adefaka
“Yes, it is just one but since the technology to do anything is one that on the long run reproduces more and more, if our government can sustain this feat that indigenous scientists have brought to being in Nigeria, sky will be our limit. And what is called ‘developed country’ if not that they advance themselves technologically and, by extension, economically? The narrative is no longer to say ‘we will get there’ but, now I can proudly say we have arrived at the very point of peaking up for the enduring industrial growth towards economic development that we long dreamed. God bless Nigeria, he said.”
Who says Nigeria has capacity to do things for itself if the enabling system is put place?
This is the word that many patriotic Nigerians home and abroad have uttered since the first-of-its-kind ventilator was unveiled in the nation’s capital of Abuja on Tuesday.
The joyful moment came as the National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI) launched the Made-in Nigeria ventilator to boost the fight against the deadly Coronavirus.
The prototype, which was meant to be commissioned by Minister of Science and Technology, Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu eventually had the unveiling done by its Minister of State, Alhaji Abdullahi Mohammed, who commended the agency for the initiative.
He said the move, which we gathered is just the beginning many more to come, would enhance Nigeria’s capacity to combat the pandemic.
Minister Mohammed pointed out that NASENI had given the country “a very strong leverage in terms of conserving foreign reserves at a moment that is highly challenging.”
Specifically he said: “It is a brave one in our quest for local content development. It is a big breakthrough in the health sector. We are going to interface with relevant agencies of government and ministries to ensure that NASENI is empowered to manufacture in large quantities for distribution to every part of the country.”
More Nigerians have continued to celebrate the newly produced Made-in-Nigeria ventilator as one of them said, “Yes, it is just one but since the technology to do anything is one that on the long run reproduces more and more, if our government can sustain this feat that indigenous scientists have brought to being in Nigeria, sky will be our limit. And what is called ‘developed country’ if not that they advance themselves technologically and, by extension, economically? The narrative is no longer to say ‘we will get there’ but, now I can proudly say we have arrived at the very point of peaking up for the enduring industrial growth towards economic development that we long dreamed. God bless Nigeria, he said,” he said.
