FG gives scholarship award to 3 secondary school students up to PhD level

THE Federal Government has given full scholarship awards to three best secondary school students who emerged winners at the just concluded Young Scientists’ Presidential Competition examination in the 774 Local Government Areas across the country.

President Muhammadu Buhari stated this in Abuja while declaring open a five-day Technology and Innovation Expo’ 2018 with the theme: Fast Tracking Sustainable Development of Nigeria Through Science and Technology, being organized by the Federal Ministry of Science and Technology.

The President, whose message was delivered by the Vice President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo said the Federal Government would also set up technology hubs in universities in the six geopolitical zones with a view to strengthening the technology and innovation ecosystem.

He, therefore, commended the creativity and spirit of the winners, urging them not to relent but to put more efforts to make Nigeria a great country.

The students were Masters Idakwoji Daniel Omonu from Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, who came first; while the second position went to Ajisafe Solomon from Ogun State and Akingbulugbe Oluwatobiloba Oladipupo from Ondo State got the third position.

According to him, the candidates that emerge at the final examination of the recently concluded young scientists’ presidential competition have all been awarded full scholarships up to the PhD level in any science related courses of their choice in any of our universities.

He stressed that the goal of his administration was to develop a strong confident nation that was able to quickly identify and take advantage of emerging opportunities in a rapidly evolving world

“We are here to build a better future, provide intervention funds to develop a self-confident nation. And this is important also as we do this to celebrate the creativity and innovation of many of our young Nigerians who are doing incredible things in science and technology.

“Equally worthy of note is that Nigeria is a country hungry of innovation, every challenge that we face in terms of security, infrastructure deficit, financial inclusion and so on is a natural laboratory for the manifestation of groundbreaking, home-grown innovation,” he stated.

“The World Bank has supported a batch of those innovations with about $3 million, the first tranche of which has already been disbursed.

“In addition, the Federal Government plans to strengthen the technology and innovation ecosystem by supporting the development of new innovation hubs in partnership with the private sectors, and this is well on course.

“We have recently concluded a competitive selection process of private sector entities that will implement and manage the hubs. Each of this hubs will focus solely the market challenges peculiar to the region of the country in which each is located.

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“We have an elaborative team with the Bank of Industry with a semi-hub, which is private hub and all private sector entities to run a presidential technology innovation challenge in all Nigerian universities-public and private, and also some polytechnics in April of this year. Each university winner will be invited to an award event hosted by Mr President.

In his welcome address, the Minister of Science and Technology, Dr Ogbonnaya Onu said Nigeria has a bright future, saying the country could break new frontiers and draw greater strength from the remarkable achievements of the nation’s forefathers.

He stated that the Expo has shown that Nigeria could engage the world with science and technology as the driver of her economic development, pointing out that the event has shown that Nigeria has the capacity to lead a new initiative that would help diversify its economy in a sustainable manner by encouraging the harnessing and application of indigenous technology.

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Dr Onu said that recent global events had shown that countries who heeded the injunctions of our creator by placing science and technology at the centre of their development efforts have grown to become prosperous and powerful.