A lecturer in the Faculty of
Social Sciences in the Ignatius Ajuru University of Education (IAUE), Dr. Chikanele Asuru has called on the Federal Government to encourage and harness indigenous technological capabilities in order to move the nation from consumption to production economy.
Dr. Asuru made the call recently in a paper “Examining Technological Capability as a Critical Factor in Nigeria’s Development Agenda, Using the Local Refineries in the Niger Delta Region as reference.”
According to the Economist, the present approach of the Federal Government is destroying the local refineries and should be reviewed. She stated that the creativity, ingenuity and innovation of operators should be exploited and refined through articulate and robust research and development.
She also stressed the need to review extant laws on refining of petroleum products, saying that this will turn around the economy of the country.
“This way the down and upstream sectors of the oil industry would be revolutionalized with attendant boost on indigenous technological development and increase local production of petroleum products, particularly the premium motor spirit (PMS),” she said.
Asuru acknowledged the fact that while oil exploration and exploitation affects the environment, there is hardly anywhere it takes place that does not witness both negative and positive effects.
She thus urges the Federal Government to improve on the maintenance of local refineries to enhance increase in productivity and reduce dependence on foreign countries.
“This will strengthen the naira and create more jobs for the local youths and learning population,” she said.
She called on the federal government to diversify the nation’s economy by looking inwards in order to move the nation forward.
“FG should encourage a more resilient economic model fit to harness the country’s strong growth fundamentals,” she said.

Sogbeba Dokubo