The $150 million investment in the battery manufacturing plant situated in Nasarawa State will enhance economic growth in the country.
The Coalition of Civil Society Groups on Efficiency in Governance, led by Empowerment for Unemployed Youth Initiative (EUYI), at a press conference on Tuesday in Abuja, applauded the National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI) for attracting the investment into the country.
Led by Comrade Danesi Momoh, EUYI noted at the press conference that this achievement was made possible by the 33-year-old Executive Vice Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NASENI, Mr. Khalil Halilu, within the last 15 months.
The coalition noted that NASENI’s resolve to establish Nigeria’s biggest Auto Conversion and Reverse Engineering Centre in Abuja, with a plan to replicate it in all 36 states of the federation, would unlock energy and natural resources.
Applauding President Bola Tinubu for appointing Halilu, the coalition observed that NASENI’s investments are valued at $3.25 billion with both local and foreign partners.
The coalition further stated that the agency has launched 35 market-ready products, including: solar irrigation systems, electric tricycles, solar street lamps, smartphones, laptops, lithium batteries, LED bulbs, NASENI-KIA hybrid vehicles, solar mounting racks, solar panels, Save 80 stoves, etc.
The coalition described NASENI’s efforts to refurbish 55,000 moribund tractors across Nigeria, kick-start the Irrigate Nigeria Project, establish a coal-based fertiliser manufacturing plant, and develop solar irrigation systems to boost agriculture and food security as a welcome development.
On national security, the coalition lauded NASENI for the commencement of the NPF Assets Recovery Programme, and for collaborating with DRDB and DICON on defense equipment manufacturing.
The coalition also referenced NASENI’s resolve to enter into productive partnerships and collaborations, which it deemed worthy of commendation.
“These partnerships, with gainful MOUs, are with leading global and local industry players spanning diverse sectors such as agriculture, solid mineral development, the clean energy ecosystem, aviation, security, housing, technology advancement, automobiles, and even a government-to-government partnership with the Czech Republic’s Technology Agency for DELTA-2, a technology transfer initiative,” it stressed.
“We once again salute the innovative leadership of Mr. Khalil Suleiman Halilu of NASENI. We are watching him, not because he may fail, but because he cannot afford to fail. After all, he has proven that the youth can do the job, even better.
“Mr. Halilu understands his assignment to reposition Nigeria as a powerhouse of science, technology, and innovation on the global scene. Thus, he went ahead to build a 21st-century institution founded on the principles of Creation, Collaboration, and Commercialisation, thereby using these principles to convert scientific knowledge and skills to support and advance Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) and organizations for innovation to thrive in Nigeria. NASENI has become a center of Nigeria’s industrialization and job creation drive, bolstering economic activities and contributing to the GDP.”
