The Federal Government has gifted the Federal University of Technology in Akure, Ondo State, with brand-new chemical laboratory equipment valued at N100 million.
According to reports, the laboratory has been furnished with state-of-the-art equipment, including the Inductively Coupled Plasma-Optical Emission Spectroscopy, a result of a collaborative research laboratory upgrade initiative between the National Office for Technology Acquisition and Promotion and PZ Cussons Nigeria Limited.
Inaugurating the equipment on the campus of the FUTA on Friday, the Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, Geoffrey Nnaji, said the laboratory was upgraded by the National Office for Technology Acquisition and Promotion in collaboration with a firm, the PZ Cussons Nigeria Plc.
Represented by the Director-General of NOTAP, Dr Obiageli Amadiobi, the minister called on the corporate organisations in the country to join hands with the government to upgrade the equipment in the universities across the country.
According to him, the equipment would boost practicals in the institution and enhance productivity among the varsity students. He commended the NOTAP and the PZ Nigeria for the gesture, explaining that one of the strategic partners of the NOTAP-Industry Initiative was PZ Cussons.
He explained that the agency was in partnership with the company in three initiatives namely -Technology Story Board, Industry Technology Transfer Fellowship and NOTAP-Industry research laboratory upgrade which, according to him, entails the upgrade of research laboratories in universities and research institutes.
Nnaji said, “The PZ Cussons Nigeria Plc has also upgraded additional five laboratories in the universities and each of these laboratories was upgraded at a cost of N100million and one of the beneficiary universities is the Federal University of Technology, Akure, which is the seventh upgraded chemical laboratory and the first in the South West geopolitical zone.
“At this juncture, I would like to call upon other industries to emulate this laudable gesture of PZ as I promise that PZ and other Industries who key into this initiative that their efforts will not go in vain. The ministry through NOTAP will find a legal way of reciprocating this gesture. I would also like to call on the benefitting institutions to put the equipment into judicious use.
“The equipment is crucial and the government alone cannot provide all these pieces of equipment, so in order to change the trajectory, NOTAP sought collaboration with the private sector to assist in this direction as part of their corporate social responsibilities to upgrade laboratories in Nigeria tertiary institutions with state of the art facilities under the triple helix model arrangement. At the moment, it is only PZ Cussons Nigeria Plc that has keyed into this initiative.”
The minister revealed that PZ Cussons has successfully upgraded a total of five laboratories across various institutions, including Modibo Adama University of Technology in Yola, National Research Institute for Chemical Technology in Zaria, University of Calabar, Alex Ekwueme University of Technology in Ndufu, Ebonyi State, and Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University in Bauchi.
Earlier in her welcome remarks, the Vice Chancellor, Professor. Adenike Oladiji said the event “Celebrates the wonderful synergy between PZ Cussons Nigeria PLC and NOTAP as part of their corporate and social responsibilities to upgrade laboratories in Nigeria Tertiary Institutions.”
Professor Oladiji, represented by Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic) Professor Taiwo Amos, expressed gratitude to the donors and gave assurance that the donated equipment will be meticulously maintained, kept in optimal working condition, and utilized effectively to enhance teaching, learning, and research activities at the Federal University of Technology, Akure (FUTA).
