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Presidential Media Team Hails NASENI’s Innovation Drive, Backs ‘Nigeria First’ Industrial Agenda
…Onanuga Describes Agency’s Transformation as ‘Impressive’; Calls for Greater Support for Local Technologies
The Presidential Renewed Hope Media Tour has commended the National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI) for its remarkable strides in indigenous technology development, describing the agency as a critical driver of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda and Nigeria’s industrial transformation.
The commendation came during an inspection tour of NASENI’s facilities, where members of the presidential media team lauded the agency’s growing capacity to promote local manufacturing, innovation and technology transfer.
Speaking on behalf of the delegation, the Special Adviser to the President on Communication, Information and Strategy, Mr. Bayo Onanuga, described the visit as “impressive, impressive, impressive,” saying the agency’s achievements demonstrate the immense potential of Nigerian youths when supported by visionary leadership.
He commended the Executive Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of NASENI, Mr. Khalil Suleiman Halilu, for repositioning the agency into a leading institution for innovation, industrialisation and technological advancement.
Addressing the delegation, Halilu explained that sustainable industrial development does not necessarily depend on producing goods entirely from local inputs but on building technological capacity through strategic innovation, partnerships and commercialization.
He said NASENI’s focus is on developing commercially viable technologies capable of creating jobs, shortening production cycles and supporting the Federal Government’s Nigeria First Policy.
The NASENI boss highlighted several flagship initiatives of the agency, including technology transfer programmes, commercialization of locally developed innovations, mentorship of young innovators and the Innovate Naija Challenge, which offers a ₦500 million prize fund to support and scale promising Nigerian innovations.
Also speaking, the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, praised NASENI’s achievements and urged the media to give greater prominence to the successes of the Federal Government across critical sectors.
The Special Adviser to the President on Policy and Coordination, Hajiya Hadiza Bala Usman, stressed the importance of strategic communication in promoting locally developed innovations and encouraged Nigerians to patronise indigenous products.
Similarly, the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Public Communication, Chief Sunday Dare, advocated policies that would require Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) to prioritise procurement of products manufactured by NASENI and other local industries.
Other members of the delegation, including Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Mr. Tunde Rahman, and Special Assistant to the President on Digital Media, Mr. Otega Ogra, also applauded NASENI’s expanding partnerships and its commitment to developing homegrown technologies.
During the tour, the presidential delegation inspected several of the agency’s cutting-edge facilities, including projects in drone technology, helicopter assembly, reverse engineering, precision manufacturing, renewable energy, agricultural technology and recycling systems.
The visitors were also taken through the implementation of NASENI’s 3Cs framework—Creation, Collaboration and Commercialization—which has become the cornerstone of the agency’s strategy for promoting indigenous manufacturing, innovation and technology transfer.
At the end of the visit, stakeholders called for sustained nationwide campaigns to encourage the patronage of Nigerian-made products, strengthen local manufacturing, reduce dependence on imports and accelerate the country’s industrialisation drive under President Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
