The National Metallurgical Development Centre (NMDC) has the potential to industrialize the country through global best practices in Research and Development if provided with the instrument needed to realize set goals, the Director-General of the Centre, Prof Linus Asuquo has said.
The Director General, who expressed the concern in Jos, at a three-day workshop organized by the Management of the Centre, recently, decried the “insignificant portion of the country’s annual budget allocated to research,” while calling for a review to enable the industry perform optimally.
He said that the need for adequate budgetary allocation to research institutions cannot be overemphasized considering the role of research in national economic development.
A statement signed by the Head, Press and Public Relations, NMDC, Sunny Ezenwa, quoted Prof Asuquo as saying that ‘for a long time, little or no attention was given to key areas that saddle the boat of the economy,’ stating that ‘in order for the Nigerian economy to favorably compete with developed economies, there is urgent need for more robust and sustainable investment in human capacity building which is a key factor in driving other factors for rapid economic growth.’
Prof Asuquo explained that during his two years as Director General of the Agency, management worked to provide conducive environment for research, while calling on the National Assembly to allocate more funds to research considering the pivotal role it plays in the growth of any given economy.
He encouraged staff to take advantage of the training to enhance their knowledge especially in the dynamism of modern technology for better service delivery.
Discussing the motivation for the training, Prof Asuquo said: ‘The Management of NMDC, in response to President Mohammadu Buhari’s Economic Diversification Policy, particularly on the emphasis laid on Mining and Steel Sector, noted that it is imperative to train and re-train members of staff in NMDC, so as to imbibe the right attitude to work which will eventually improve productivity.’
The Director of Finance and Human Resources Management, Dr Abubakar Tumi charged participants to embrace the Training with passion in order to get the best from the resource persons.
He commended the Director General for reviving the infrastructures at the Centre while building the capacity of staff for optimal service delivery.
