2 September 2008
EQUIPMENT for a national hydrogen laboratory project have been abandoned at the National Centre for Energy Research and Training, Zaria, according to an investigation by the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).
The project was under a technical co-operation between International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Vienna, Federal Ministry of Water Resources and the Centre for Energy Research, Zaria.
The project, meant to aid national underground water management and data analysis would, on completion, be the first of its kind in the West African sub-region.
The equipment, valued at about N1 billion, had been dumped at the centre for four years without installation, NAN reports.
A scientist at the centre, who preferred, anonymity, said that the neglect of such sophisticated equipment was dangerous to human lives and the environment.
According to him, some of the equipment contained radioactive substances which make them dangerous when not installed.
"Such facilities have expiry dates from the day of manufacture and to continue keeping them in the store without installation is very dangerous," the source said.
The Director-General of the centre, Prof. Inuwa Funtua, confirmed the low attention of the Federal Government to the project.
Funtua said the equipment were supplied by the IAEA in 2006 but were not installed because of non-importation of other facilities.
He said the laboratory at the centre had been completed since 2006 and Nigeria purchased the equipment at a cost of N1billion.
Funtua said the main constraint to the installation of the equipment was lack of nuclear gases and other consumables as well as a separate power back-up.
He explained that a submission had been made to the Federal Ministry of Water Resources on the matter.
The D-G said that there were only two such laboratories in Africa, one in South Africa and the other in Egypt, while the third would have been in Nigeria, if completed.
Funtua said the importance of the laboratory to the nation's development could not be over - emphasised.
He said the laboratory would have improved research into underground water for consumption.
An official of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Water Resources, who pleaded anonymity, said in Abuja that the project was not dumped.
"The Ministry is making all efforts to procure the required gases and other ancillary items for the smooth running of the laboratory.
"The due process procedure for the procurement of these items is ongoing, the contractors are only waiting for the issuance of letters of award," the source said.
According to the source, the ministry made a counterpart contribution of $100,000 (N13.4million), being 20 per cent of the total cost of the spectrometer, while IAEA provided the balance.
"Nigeria didn't purchase the equipment for N1 billion though, the exact cost of the project could not be cross checked with the IAEA," he said.
The source also told NAN that the equipment was not radioactive in nature but had a warranty period for the installation, saying that the ministry would do everything possible to start running of the laboratory soon.
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If Bankole and the House Probe needs to know how billions of dollars were spent with nothing to show for it - it is because of abandoned projects like this. Why buy technical equipments if you don;t have the technical skill to install it, or, if there is technical skill, perhaps the new adminstration cancelled the installation contract so he can reap the reward of the idea being its brainchild while blaming its predecessor for waiste, or, so that the new admin can collect its 10% bribe of re-awarding the supply contract to their favorite contractor. Whatever the reason, watch out for some element of corruption. Good job, NAN.