Buhari to confer national honour on NASENI boss Wednesday 

Barring any last minute changes, President Muhammadu Buhari will next Wednesday confer the national honour of the Officer of the Federal Republic (OFR) on the Executive Vice Chairman (EVC) of the National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI), Prof. Mohammad Sani Haruna.

The Guardian learnt yesterday that the conferment would be done exclusively for the NASENI boss before the scheduled Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting to be chaired by the President at the Council Chamber in the Presidential Villa.

Incidentally, the Council meeting, according to the Presidency, would be the last for the year.

Recall that President Buhari had announced his decision to confer the national honour on Haruna last week during his address at the commissioning of the agency’s headquarters in Abuja, named President Muhammadu Buhari Technology and Innovation Complex at Idu Industrial Zone.

It could also be recalled that President Buhari had earlier recommended Haruna for an Excellence Service Award for driving the agency from the position of obscurity to limelight.

Meanwhile, the announcement of the honour and recommendation for Excellence Service Award, it was learnt, came to the NASENI helmsman as a surprise because the President was only scheduled to inaugurate the building.

Buhari, who is also the Chairman of NASENI, said he was impressed by the performance of the agency given what it has been able to achieve under his administration despite funding constraints; just as he classified the agency as one pivotal legacy his administration would bequeath to the next administration in 2023.

According to him, the agency, under Haruna’s leadership, has been repositioned to become a Technology and Innovation Hub for national development.

The President said: “This is one pivotal legacy of this administration. With this complex and the available facility, the future of our national competitiveness among global economies is promising. We are sure that these advanced Science and Engineering Core facilities will assist our nation in the attainment of Africa Union’s 2063 Agenda and United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals 2030.”

Noting that the agency, created over 30 years ago, had been facing multifarious challenges, which forced it to perform below its potentials in the past, the President said his administration was determined to reverse the trend.

He added: “NASENI has a long history of establishment and has been in existence for over 30 years now, but the agency has been facing so many challenges that were mitigating against the realisation of her full potential in line with the Act that established the agency.”