Minister charges youth on technology transfer

Mr Niyi Adebayo, Minister, Industry, Trade and Investment, has urged young Nigerians to key into advanced technology transfer and build the future that awaits all.

Adebayo gave the charge at the inauguration of the National Automotive Design and Development Council (NADDC) Electric Vehicle Charging Station, done in collaboration with the University of Lagos, on Wednesday.

According to him, there is need for the youth, especially students of the institution to key into the opportunities presented to them.

This, he said, was to help in building  the much anticipated ‘bold new future.’

“I want to urge us to look beyond the horizon of what is considered possible and build the future that awaits all.

“This programme is another of the Federal Government’s initiatives under the President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration, designed to promote advanced technology transfer and the development of sophisticated human capital.

“For my ministry, the Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment, programmes such as these are the lifeblood of everything we are trying to achieve.

“It is, after all, a proven fact among advanced nations, that the key to successful industrialisation is strategic human capital and capacity development in state of the art technologies.

“So, what does this mean for you? It means giving you the tools to build a future that is uniquely yours, to inspire in you the light of innovation and creativity that will enable you write a new chapter,” Adebayo said.

He noted that the charging station had been developed by the NADDC in its efforts to promote applicable local solutions for Vehicle Electrification in Nigeria.

According to him, it will offer students firsthand experience with the latest innovations in mobility and renewable power technology.

The minister said that it was strategised to be an effective platform for focused research and development into even more applicable Vehicle Electrification solutions for Nigeria and Africa.

“Earlier, I said that this is a ‘historic day,’ but it is not just because of what we have done, rather, because of our confidence in what you will do with it.

“It is my prayer that very soon we will launch and mass-produce renewable energy powered vehicles, of which innovative Nigerian youth are an integral part of their conceptualisation, design and development,” he stated.

Adebayo said that the Federal Government, through agencies such as the NADDC, would continue to support the dreams and ambitions of the youth, for the good and prosperity of Nigeria.

Earlier, the Director General of the NADDC, Mr Jelani Aliyu, said the world is currently  in the fourth Industrial revolution.

He noted that this was characterised by highly advanced technologies, robotics, artificial intelligence, block chain technology and other incredible solutions.

According to him, whatever advanced technology being leveraged by developed countries around the world must also be identified, transferred and optimised by Nigeria for the betterment of its people.

“The world is currently a race on the backs of eagles, and Nigeria cannot afford to be in that race on the back of anything less, neither a falcon nor a hawk, but on the backs of eagles.

“For the automotive sector, it means vehicles that are highly embedded with ICT solutions, connectivity between the vehicles themselves, their users and the road infrastructure.

“It means vehicles that think for themselves and are therefore safer, more efficient and better for humanity.

“And most important of all, is the revolutionary paradigm shift in the type of energy that would power these new generation of vehicles.

“We are now in the Vehicle Electrification era: cars, trucks and buses all powered by electricity.

“A strategic transition from fossil fuel, that is petrol/diesel, to pure electric power.

“This is important because the world can no longer afford to continue polluting the environment through the use of fossil fuel and its attendant emission of carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide and methane,” he stated.

According to him, early this year, the Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment unveiled the first Nigerian assembled Electric Vehicle, the Hyundai Kona EV.

He said that the minister had also come for the commissioning of the NADDC Solar Powered EV Charging Station at UNILAG.

Aliyu said that these developments had added Nigeria to the league of nations actively committed to the protection of the environment through zero emissions vehicles.

He said that the Electric Vehicle Charging Station being commissioned at UNILAG was 100 percent solar powered.

“The monitoring and evaluation team shall consist of experts from NADDC, University, Hyundai and relevant stakeholders,” he added.

The Vice Chancellor of UNILAG, Prof. Oluwatoyin Ogundipe, said that the development of every country was hinged on continuous research.

“We want to thank the minister and the NADDC for bringing this innovation to UNILAG and this shows the quality and caliber of these people, because every country you go to, the universities remain the centre of attraction for research and development.

“It is heartwarming that this facility is located in this university, therefore, so that further research could be carried out in this area. This also fits into our energy centre which is very closeby.

“Again, talking about technology transfer, there is no country that will help us as a people except we help ourselves.

“I therefore want to assure you that we will make maximum use of the facility for the development of the students, the university community and the nation at large,” he said.

Ogundipe said that from the vision given to the university some years ago concerning the zero carbon emission vehicle, it was able to come up with an electric vehicle produced by the Faculty of Engineering, which was on display.

According to him, the Electric Vehicle Charging Station is coming at the right time.

He said that the the solar-powered facility would offer to the university an effective platform for advanced innovation in EVs and related renewable energy solutions.

“Between January 2020 and the last bill we had in the month of May, our electricity bill was N1.1 billion, so, this facility is coming at the right time to show us the direction we need to go in terms of sustainable energy,” Ogundipe said.

He urged the director general of the council (Aliyu) to partner with the university in teaching students of the Faculty of Engineering, whenever it is convenient for him.

“We do not want people like you to leave the system. What we do now is that we bring people from the industry to come and teach our students,” he said.

The Chairman of the NADDC, Sen. Osita Izunaso, urged the university to put the facility to maximum use, in a bid to impact the students and the nation positively.

He noted that the facility was first unveiled at the Usman Dan Fodiyo University in Sokoto, after which it was replicated at University of Lagos.

Izunaso said that the University of Nigeria Nsukka in Enugu would be the next stop.

The high point of the event was the test driving of the UNILAG Electric Vehicle by dignitaries at the ceremony.