Ndaliman: Why Nigerians Should Patronize Made-in-Nigeria Science/Laboratory Equipment

The Managing Director, Scientific Equipment Development Institute (SEDI) Minna, Niger State, Prof. Mohammed Ndaliman, has advanced reasons why Nigerians should patronize Made-in-Nigeria science and laboratory equipment as is the case with China and India. In this interview, he averred that such patronage besides boosting local production, job creation will strengthen the value of the naira.

Excerpts…

Brief historical background of SEDI-Minna

The Scientific Equipment Development Institute (SEDI) Minna, is today one institutes of National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI), created from the Act which established NASENI in 1992. Before then it was called the Science Equipment Manufacturing Factory (SEMF). The earlier intention was for the establishment to serve as a factory operated by government for   production of various Science Equipment. So, with SEDI now under NASENI, its mandate is to research into production and reverse engineering of various systems for mass production of school laboratories, apparatus for Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Introductory Technology, Integrated Science and other equipment.

Part of our mandate is to research int scientific  equipment  for  higher  institutions . Also we are to carry out Research and Development (R&Ds) for some instruments, Mechanical and Artisanal works in the  country. After we have carried out R&Ds, and the results or what have you, all are expected to be transferred to SMEs or individuals for the purpose of mass production.  So going by the mandate given to SEDI by NASENI, we can research into all the above to evolve  a  sustainable technological  system  for  production  for  all  scientific   industries in the country and  also  produce  them  in  large  quantities and thereby achieving gradually the  process  of  industrialization of  the  country.  

Now you also asked how the story of the institute had been as far as its mandate is concerned.  SEDI Minna has demonstrated capacities and also given opportunities to dispense capacity and skills in the areas of laboratory, school laboratory equipment and all other areas which I mentioned earlier like machine building and  also  reverse  engineering  as  part  of  our mandate. We have been  able  to  develop  various  components  and  machines  and now working on the  processes of sensitizing stakeholders on how to transfer some of these  technologies  to  those  who  are  interested  in  using  them to do business. So again, over the  years  we  have  also  been  able  to  offer  consultancy  services  to  various  individuals and organizations in  the areas  of  scientific  equipment  development. 

We have been able to come up with products that reduce   hardship in schools in terms of organizing practical sessions for students. Our star products are the various Science kits: primary and Junior secondary Science kits (JSK) and we also have mathematical kits. The kits contain various items and apparatus required to carry out experiments, scientific investigation and observations by young stars in schools. So the kits, by God’s grace, I assure you  that before middle of 2022, you  will  come back to us and we  will  show  a  complete  kit that  can  be  used  to  conduct  laboratories practical at  Senior  secondary  school  level. These are parts  of  the  remarkable achievements  we  have  made  over  the  years.

Our challenges and efforts at tackling them

Let me take you back a little in this conversation, I said the Institute was established over 30 years  ago. So, if you would reflect on institutional operations, it is 30 years of experience and operations. Therefore, first it takes constant maintenance to retain the qualities of what was installed at the outset. That’s how it is supposed to be especially for things to remain as envisioned from start. Some of the challenges now are infrastructural related and closely connected to that is funding. One of the challenges we have now is the ability to carry out manufacturing of R&Ds results. I had earlier told you that SEDI Minna was established as a manufacturing outfit and later converted to a development institute. So, because of the earlier mandate, its infrastructural emphasis was to provide various manufacturing endeavours. For instance, if  you are into manufacturing, you  will  discover  that 90%  of  the man-power  required  comprises of  artisans  and  probably technicians as we  do  the  production. 

But talking of  machines to an institute, it’s  just  manufacturing of  machines and  you  will  be  thinking  of  research  and  development and less of Artisans and technicians. Therefore this is one area now where we have a lot of challenges especially  in  terms  of  the  nature  of  man-power composition. The nature  of  infrastructure  on  ground  are  not  fully  researched-based and the  man-power and  infrastructure also are  not  researched  based. The other challenge staring us in the face now  is when  you   come  to  the  issue  of  research  which  normally  requires  some  sophisticated  instrument  and  equipment including high  level  knowledge, nevertheless we are  working  toward  alleviating these challenges. Alright first of all, when we talk in terms  of  finance, we  try  to  sensitize  people  who  would have  one  thing  or  the  other  to do with  the  institute  so  that  in  addition  to whatever amount  we  get  from the  government, we would add it to the little funding which we derive from those who patronize the institute  in  terms  of  internally generated revenue (IGR) which we use to augment the  financial  needs of  the  Institute. Then second, some of the dilapidated infrastructures; we’ve sort approval from  various  authorities  and  I  must  give   accolades  to  our  Executive  Vice  Chairman, Prof. Haruna for  the  supports he  has  given to us  and  also he has continued  to  look  for  ways  out whenever  we  call on the headquarters for support. Through these  supports  and other contacts, we have been able  to  find  ways  to  see  how  we’ll  reduce  the  level  of  dilapidation  of  our  infrastructures. Now  you  can  see  we  are  making  efforts  to  either  replace  some  of  the  broken  down  equipment  that  are  no  longer  functional. Also rather we are making efforts to procure new ones. So  we’re  gradually  coming  up  to get  our  infrastructures updated  and  I  think  in  no  distant  time perhaps within one to three  years, we  would  be  where  we  are  aspiring  to  be. We should be able to recover these infrastructures or technological equipment and production systems. The next challenge we are trying to resolve is staff orientation and development. For  instance about  six  years  ago in  SEDI  there  was  no  staff  apart  from  the Managing Director with a Ph.D  in  the  Institute. But,I’m  happy  to  say  that  within  the  last  three  years,  we  have  a  lot  of  people  with  Masters  and  not less  than  six Ph.Ds. So we are coming to that level where a very good research institute  is expected to have staff  with  high  level  specialized  knowledge  and state-of-the-art infrastructures meant  for  research and development.  That is where we’re getting to now. So we’re now taking various steps to get to that level so that we can tackle with easy the challenges that I have earlier mentioned.

Achievements

We thank God in very great ways for the moderate achievements attained by the institute. First in the areas of actualizing our mandate, 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 a mobile science laboratory to schools, probably when one class or school finished using  it , it  goes  to  another  school or class. It is cost effective and it will solve the problems of lack of fund needed to build standard science and technology laboratories for all schools. I imagine a situation where laboratories have to be built for all schools. The advantage of these mobile science kits is that even schools in remote locations are not left out of the benefits of performing scientific experiments. Not long ago , we  donated  such  kits to some pupils in schools  in  our  settlement  here. Talking also on reverse engineering issue, we have imported some latest equipment which we split or dismantle and by using our own creativity to  build  one  that  is  similar  to  them.  In the process of doing this, we are building local capacity to fabricate machines so that we can  produce  locally  and  give  to  industrialists.  We have  been  able  to  achieve  several  reverse  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, aspirator bottles.  Some of the above mentioned items also have been produced in plastic forms so they can be easily handled by our children in primary and  junior secondary school levels  than  the  delicate  ones  produced  in  a  glass  form. All these were produced in our glass and allied workshop. Now things like other metallic object like burners were produced from engineering workshop. Apart from laboratory equipment, we have 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. 

A new NASENI and SEDI as institute

Looking at new horizons, people say sky is the limit but from what I am seeing now on the basis of challenges, we are thinking that most of these challenges I mentioned like finance, dilapidated infrastructures or the research infrastructure, l see all of them becoming a thing of the past with the restoration of NASENI funding mechanism, due honour to the visionary father of the nation, the Chairman of NASENI Governor Board, President Muhammadu Buhari, and also kudos to the irrepressible passion and doggedness of our Executive Vice Chairman, Haruna. The present government is taking the right steps to get science and technology to drive the Nigeria economy to the benefits of all sectors of Nigeria. 

Flooding of Nigerian markets with foreign science and laboratory equipment

The country’s parallel foreign exchange rate is increasingly rising now to about 565 naira to a dollar, even when the official rate is just about 416 naira and the gap is about 160 between official rate and the parallel market. Now that gap exists because of the 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 which is produced in our own country. Nations such as India and China are amongst the world biggest economies today because they have the national discipline to consume their own products. India particularly should serve as the right example to Nigeria. In India almost everything they want, they look inward except if they had tried to produce such things but they could not. That is when they will attempt to get them imported.  That also should be our attitude to socio-economic strategy needed to develop our country. So, our destiny is on our hands and everyone should look at SEDI as having the mandate to transfer its production systems, scientific apparatus and all laboratory equipment to the private sector for onward mass production and commercialization. We are therefore using this medium to invite Nigerian entrepreneurs to come to take over the technologies behind our production systems and to do business with them. By So in doing, we will be strengthening our economy and reducing the cost of foreign exchange used for importation of all manner of items into the country. 

Relevance of SEDI-Minna to Nigeria’s socio-economic development

In the arena of socio-economic development, I told you by implication if we are able to transfer the technologies or our production systems and various scientific equipment, apparatus, in which case very many of them will be produced within the country and by Nigerian business men and women, then, we are positively affecting the socio-economic realms of the country. Of course, we would have transformed the economy of the country or end up influencing the economy in the direction of a knowledge-based economy and therefore our activities will checkmate continuous capital flight that have always been the case in the meantime.

So, we will be strengthening the value of our national currency and also preventing currency devaluation which is the case presently because we now have a situation where the naira is chasing the dollars needed for importation of all things into the country. Not only SEDI Minna needs the strengthening now but also the general manufacturing sector of the economy needs to be revitalized so that production will increase. A productive economy always strengthens both the currency and the general economy of the country. In other words, I am saying that our institute SEDI is a critical unit of the Nigeria manufacturing sector. The institute was set up to strengthen the manufacturing sector and for the general economic development of the country

Related posts

FG Moves to Enforce Fundamental Human Rights, Directs MDAs to Comply with Nigeria Data Protection Regulation  

Money Laundering: EFCC Arraigns SAN, Ex-Lagos AG, Shasore For N159million, $60,000   

Digital Payments Hits $7.5trn as NITDA Moves to Make 1m Nigerian Youths Relevant on Global Stage