…says quarterly meetings, instrumental to winning policies
The Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation, Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu, has highlighted the feats recorded by the ministry since he assumed leadership as minister, stressing the quarterly meetings with management and staff have been instrumental in coming up with policies that have reshaped the sector.
He made this assertion during the 27th quarterly meeting with management and staff of the ministry, today (April 22, 2022) in Abuja.
Onu pointed out that the ministry’s effort through one of its policies, the National Strategy for Competitiveness in Raw Materials, has led to the country’s ranking from 115 out of 140 countries by the 2018/2019 assessment of the World Economic Forum.
The minister said when he came aboard the ministry was in bad shape but has been raised to its epoch through regular meetings with the management and staff.
He, therefore, added that these meetings led to the creation of several other policies, five of which have been approved while four of them await approval by the Federal Executive Council.
Also, the minister said that by 2019 the ministry won the Servicom Award of Excellency and ranked best performing ministry in service delivery.
The National Office for Technology Acquisition and Promotion (NOTAP) by the Presidential Council under the chairmanship of the vice-president, Prof. Yemi Osibanjo, was also awarded the best in Transparency in Service Delivery in all MDAs.
Onu said on January 31, 2022, the National Assembly met with 270 agencies and stakeholders and the Energy Commission of Nigeria (ECN) was recognised as the best in terms of 100 per cent remittance of tax to the Federation Account.
The minister further added that the University of Transportation in Daura, Kastina State, is the product of one of the policies of the ministry, Executive Order No. 5.
He hailed the effort of the Anambra State government in promoting local content in indigenous technology and highlighted industrialisation as another added advantage of the Executive Order.
A statement by the ministry’s deputy director, press and public relations, Afonja Ajibola, said Onu thanked the directors and chief executive officers of agencies in the ministry for making sure that the meetings were held regularly with the belief that the ministry will be able to achieve more for the benefit of the nation.
