By Frank Momoh
The Managing Director/CE of the Scientific Equipment Development Institute (SEDI) based in Minna, Niger State, Prof. Mohammed Ndaliman, has assured that with the going infrastructure retooling at the institute, importation of science and laboratory equipment for schools and other uses into the country will stop.
With strong logical optimism, he averred that with the new funding window, our plan in SEDI is to build state-of-the-art manufacturing and production systems to churn out schools’ science and laboratory equipment such that Nigerians would not need to keep importing science equipment and instruments for student practical and other uses.
The SEDI boss, said the institute is one of the parastatals of the National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI) whose mandate specifically includes research, production and reverse engineering with respect to develop manufacturing systems for mass production of school laboratory apparatus for Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Introductory Technology, Integrated Science and all forms of scientific equipment for research industries and higher institutions in the country.
While acknowledging the emergence of a new dawn in the sector, he added that it is a brand new NASENI and its institute-SEDI Minna.
According to him, SEDI, also has as its mandate the manufacturing of measuring and control instruments for Electrical, Electronics, Mechanical workshops, those for Artisans, Industries and utility equipment, adding that these technologies developed by SEDI, Minna are all expected to be transferred as development production technologies to satellite industries called SMEs.
In an interactive session with newsmen in Minna, over the weekend, Ndaliman, expressed satisfaction with high expectation for improved funding mechanisms which had been approved by the federal government for NASENI, under which SEDI is a parastatal.
He said: “With the new funding window, our plan in SEDI is to build state-of-the-art manufacturing and production systems to churn out schools’ science and laboratory equipment such that Nigerians would not need to keep importing science equipment and instruments for student practical and other uses”, he said.
Ndaliman, used the occasion to acknowledge the visionary leadership and the Chairman of the NASENI Governing Board, President Muhammadu Buhari, and also kudos to the irrepressible passion and doggedness of NASENI’s Executive Vice Chairman/CE, Prof. Mohammed Haruna.
According to him, the present administration is taking right and giant steps to get science and technology to drive the Nigeria economy for the benefit of all sectors of Nigeria.
While lamenting the negative impacts of importation of science equipment and other materials into the country especially in areas where NASENI and its institutes have potentials, he said, “Nigeria’s parallel foreign exchange rate is currently rising to about N565 naira to a dollar, even when the official rate is just about N416 and the gaps have continued to widen within the range of 160 between official rate and the parallel market.”
He said such gap exists because of effects or the fact that almost everything we need in this country is imported.
So, not just scientific laboratory equipment alone, it is like everything we need we import and we do not have confidence in using anything that is produced in our own country, the SEDI boss, said.
Reflecting on the socio-economic challenges facing the country, Ndaliman, a Professor of Mechanical Engineering, observed that India and China are amongst world biggest economies today because they have national discipline to consume their own products.
He said, India particularly should serve as right example to Nigeria, adding that in India, almost everything they want they look inward except if they had tried to produce such things but they could not. That is only when they will attempt to get them imported, he said.
According to him, this culture by Asians should be the new attitude Nigeria’s socio-economic strategy needed to develop the country.
So, our destiny is on our hands and we should look up to SEDI that the institute has the mandate to transfer its production systems of scientific apparatus and all laboratory equipment to the private sector for onward mass production and commercialization.
The MD used the opportunity of the media parley to invite entrepreneurs and investors to come to take over the technology behind SEDI science equipment production systems and to do business with them even as he averred that by so doing, we will be strengthening our economy and also reduce the cost of foreign exchange used for importation of all manner of items into the country, he said.
On SEDI’s achievement in almost 30 years of existence, he said: “We have been able to come up with various science kits.
We call them junior secondary science kits (JSK) and also, we have the primary science kits. There are the mathematical kits. All these are innovation to serve like taking mobile science laboratory to schools.
“The institute has achieved several reversed engineered equipment by building things like plates, shaping machines, glaze mixing machines, screen printing machines and sheet metal splitting machines.
“Other products of the Institute include ceramic wares, laboratory measuring cylinders, beakers, funnel, water dispensers, and aspirator bottles.
“Some of the above mentioned items also have been produced in plastic forms so they can easily be handled by children in primary and junior secondary school levels than delicate ones produced in glass form. Metallic objects like burners are produced from our engineering workshop. Apart from laboratory equipment, SEDI has produced rulers, Computer hardware, work station and other teaching aids. The Institute’s wooding workshop also produces both home and school furniture. In the ceramics section, we produce ceramic cup, flower vase made from ceramic. In essence let me tell you we have enough to produce as far as our scientific mandate is concerned.
It’s just a question of infrastructure and when the infrastructure is perfected every other thing will follow. Other services offered by the institute include capacity building and skills acquisition programme in areas like school laboratory apparatus for Physics Chemistry, Biology, Introductory Technology, Integrated Science, scientific equipment for research, industries and higher institutions, measuring and control instruments for Electrical, Electronics. Mechanical workshops, Artisan workshop etc. industries and utility equipment, Advanced Manufacturing Services, Foundry practice, Metal fabrication, Welding, Metal work/Machine assembly, Electroplating Services, development of components, Machineries and their processes.
