The Federal Government has donated new chemical laboratory equipment worth N100m to the Federal University of Technology, Akure, Ondo State.
It was gathered that the laboratory was equipped with the Inductively Coupled Plasma-Optical Emission Spectroscopy, the product of the research laboratory upgrade partnership between the National Office for Technology Acquisition and Promotion and the PZ Cussons Nigeria Limited.
Inaugurating the equipment on the campus of FUTA on Friday, the Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, Chief Geoffrey Nnaji, said the laboratory was upgraded by the National Office for Technology Acquisition and Promotion, in collaboration with PZ Cussons Nigeria PLC.
Represented by the Director General of NOTAP, Dr Obiageli Amadiobi, the minister called on the corporate organisations in the country to join hands with the government to upgrade the equipment in various universities across the country.
According to him, the equipment would boost practical classes in the institutions and enhance productivity among the students.
He commended the NOTAP and the PZ Nigeria for the gesture, adding that one of the strategic partners of the NOTAP-Industry Initiative was PZ Cussons.
Nnaji said, “The PZ Cussons Nigeria Plc has also upgraded an additional five laboratories in the universities and each of these laboratories was upgraded at a cost of N100m and one of the beneficiary universities is the Federal University of Technology, Akure, which is the seventh upgraded chemical laboratory and the first in the South-West geopolitical zone.
“At this juncture, I would like to call upon other industries to emulate this laudable gesture of PZ. I promise PZ and other industries who key into this initiative that their efforts will not go in vain.
“The ministry, through NOTAP, will find a legal way of reciprocating this gesture. I would also like to call on the benefitting institutions to put the equipment into judicious use.”
He listed other beneficiary institutions as Modibbo Adama University of Technology, Yola; the National Research Institute for Chemical Technology Zaria; University of Calabar, the Alex Ekwueme University of Technology, Ndufu, Ebonyi State and the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University, Bauchi.
In her welcome remarks, the Vice Chancellor of FUTA, Prof Adenike Oladiji, said the event was to celebrate the synergy between PZ Cussons Nigeria PLC and NOTAP, as part of their corporate and social responsibilities to upgrade laboratories in Nigeria tertiary institutions.
Oladiji, who was represented by the Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Academic, Prof Taiwo Amos, assured the donors that the equipment would be maintained and kept in good working condition for the benefit of teaching, learning and research in FUTA.
