How Buhari’s Executive Order 5 will boost local technology, by Onu

THE Minister of Science and Technology, Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu, has lauded President Muhammadu Buhari’s signing of the Presidential Executive Order 5 for the planning and execution of projects, programmes and contracts with science, engineering and technology component.

Onu said that the order signed on Monday by Buhari marked a revolutionary effort that would help move Nigeria towards developing the necessary local human capital to fight poverty, create jobs, strengthen local manpower, encourage indigenous technology, enhance national selfreliance and significantly restore national pride.

The minister stated that the recent groundbreaking of the University of Transportation in Daura, Katsina State, by Buhari showed that the executive order was working.

His words: “This is better appreciated when we remember that some 60 years ago, the Nigerian rail system was operational as a means of public transportation. It is sad that for a very long time, the rail system became inoperative because we lacked the indigenous capacity to even maintain the system.

“It is indeed heartwarming that with Executive Order 5, appropriate measures are being put in place to ensure that what happened in the past did not recur.”

“It is clear that many positive changes are taking place in our dear country. A bright future beckons us with the implementation of the Executive Order 5.”

According to him, the ministry is happy supervising the implementation of the order as a conscious effort to help ensure that Nigeria takes her rightful place among nations whose economy are innovation-driven and dependentknowledge.