Funmi Ogundare
10 November 2009
Lagos — Director-General of the Federal Institute of Industrial Research Oshodi (FIIRO), Lagos, Dr. Oluwole Olatunji has called on the National Assembly to assist the institute to provide funds for the replacement and upgrading of obsolete facilities
Olatunji, who made this appeal when the Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Science and Technology, Hon. Abiodun Isiaq Akinlade paid a working visit to the institute recenly, said most of the equipment used for research purposes were old and non functional, adding that the results obtained with such equipment would not be respected.
"It is hoped that the visit of this honourable house committee will help in the quest to rightly position Science, Technology and Innovation Systems (STI) to drive the national economic and technological development of our dear country."
Olatunji said his organisation embarked on major repairs, especially the laboratories and it gulped a lot of money. "We need to rehabilitate all the laboratories, it is very important. We have 46 and we still have a long way to go, we are changing our equipment gradually, we need more equipment and we need funds to buy the equipment. Facility without style is not complete", he said.
According to him, the institute was training its staff to enable them get acquainted with the technology and translate their research products into commercial purposes, saying, "we have a department that conducts training and they also go to the grassroots, but what we are saying is that we have to increase the tempo at which we go there and by next year, we want to make sure we cover as many areas as possible."
Hon. Akinlade stressed the need for the institute to create awareness about its products and partner with the local government so that its products would not only get to the end users, but would contribute towards the development of the economy. "In terms of research and development, the institute still has to do more in the areas of awareness because it is not enough to do a research and keep it in the cupboard", he said.
He said the House would appropriate funds for the institute in the 2010 appropriation bill to enable it carry out its operations, adding that there was need for the institute to write a proposal, which would show all research findings so that members of the committee would assist in making them popular at their various constituencies.
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