In Nigeria, the political strategy of Catch-them-young knows no bounds. The way it is in the Sporting arena is the same way it is being pursued in the technology sphere. The Minister of Science and Technology, Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu, says the Buhari administration will encourage young Nigerians to achieve their potentials through Science and Technology to drive the nation’s effort at promoting economic growth.
Dr. Onu made the assertion at the weekend during the National final examination of the 774 young Nigerian Scientists Presidential award held in Abuja. He said the Buhari administration was determined to secure the future of young people to enable them release their creative energies and make significant contributions to the nation’s technological development.
The Minister, who congratulated the students for emerging best in their states, charged them to keep the flag flying in the interest of the country. Dr. Onu described Science and Technology as crucial tools for building great nations that have made remarkable contributions to civilization, asserting that, “The walls of poverty and illiteracy have crumbled under the weight of science, technology and innovation.”
The Science and Tech Minister announced that those who excel at the end of the examination would be presented to the President for recognition this week at the forthcoming Technology and Innovation Expo scheduled to hold at the Eagle Square in Abuja.
The winner will also be rewarded with a cash prize of one million naira while the second and third runners up will get seven hundred and fifty thousand naira and five hundred thousand naira respectively.
To encourage the students, the Minister presented a laptop computer to each of the participants in the competition. One of them described the event as a privilege, noting that the examination increased his knowledge in Physics, as he desires to study Engineering at the University.
