FRANCIS KADIRI
THE Director-General, National Metallurgical Development Centre, Linus Asuquo, has described as insignificant, the annual budgetary allocations to the agency.
He said the agency had the potential to industrialise the country through global best practices in Research and Development, if provided with the funding needed to realise set goals.
Asuquo, who expressed the concern in Jos, at a three-day workshop organised by Management for staff of the NMDC recently, called for a review to enable the industry perform optimally.
He said the need for adequate budgetary allocation to research institutions could not be overemphasised, considering the role of research in national economic development.
A statement signed by the Head, Press and Public Relations, NMDC, Sunny Ezenwa, quoted Asuquo as saying that “for a long time, little or no attention was given to key areas that saddle the boat of the economy.”
According to him, in order for the Nigerian economy to favourably compete with developed economies, there is an 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.
Asuquo explained that during his two years as Director General of the Agency, the 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 played 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, Asuquo said, “The Management of NMDC, in response to President Muhammadu Buhari’s Economic Diversification Policy, particularly on the emphasis laid on Mining and Steel Sector, noted that it was 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, Abubakar Tumi, charged participants to embrace the training with passion in order to get the best from the resource persons.
He commended the DG for reviving the infrastructures at the centre while building the capacity of staff for optimal service delivery.
